Whitehorse not at imminent risk of blackouts, says ATCO Electric Yukon

The Yukon's energy provider says Whitehorse is not at imminent risk of blackouts, but with very cold weather forecasted through the holidays, residents are still being asked to conserve power.

“We know people need to eat their Christmas dinner, that's not going to be deferred,” said ATCO Electric vice-president Jay Massie. “But the dishwasher, the laundry, electrical heat, if you have baseboards in multiple rooms, some can be turned down while you're cooking.”

On Wednesday, temperatures sank below -40 C in most Yukon communities, including Whitehorse, and fell to -50 C in Ross River and Faro, according to Environment Canada. The cold temperatures started on Dec. 9 — the result of a cold front from Siberia — and plunged most of the territory into a much colder-than-average December.

The Yukon’s energy minister warned on Tuesday that the territory’s energy grid was experiencing peak demand, and that Whitehorse could be subject to rolling blackouts as a last resort if maximum capacity is exceeded. 

Rolling blackouts are a measure to mitigate widespread power outages when demand exceeds supply. Specific neighbourhoods would temporarily lose power to give the whole system a break.

ATCO Electric is the territory's power distributor and Yukon Energy is the energy utility.

Stephanie Cunha with Yukon Energy said on Wednesday that Yukoners are using 80 to 90 per cent of the territory’s available energy supply.

She said industrial customers and mine remediation sites have already been asked to disconnect from the grid and switch to diesel generators. Communities have also been switched over to diesel. 

But Massie with ATCO Electric said the territory has a “good buffer” before it needs to move to rolling blackouts as a last resort.

“We’re in a fairly decent spot,” he said. “But it’s good to have this conversation [about rolling blackouts] so that people understand what they’re about.”

Cunha said that peak demand dropped three to five megawatts after they put out the call for Yukoners to reduce power use. The territory's total grid capacity is 140 megawatts.

Yukon Energy has a multi-step emergency plan for managing peak demand, according to the utility’s website. There are multiple steps to alleviate pressure on the grid before rolling blackouts are necessary, including potentially sending an emergency alert to Yukoners asking them to immediately stop “all non-essential electricity use.”

In the meantime, Massie said, every little bit helps when it comes to saving energy.

Residents can conserve energy by using large appliances, like dishwashers and washing machines, outside of peak hours; turning off unused lights; unplugging unused electronics, like laptops; and using smaller appliances, like microwaves and toaster ovens, for cooking. Peak hours are between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., and between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.