Photo by Vince Fedoroff
FRIGID SNAP COST MONEY – Smoke from Yukon Energy’s LNG generators is seen last Thursday in -30 C weather. Power generation set records.
Cold snap cost Yukon Energy $1 million-plus
The cold snap that broke last weekend after Yukon Energy hit a number of records for power generation cost over $1 million in diesel fuel and natural gas.
The cold snap that broke last weekend after Yukon Energy hit a number of records for power generation cost over $1 million in diesel fuel and natural gas.
Janet Patterson, the spokeswoman for the Crown corporation, said Monday the total cost for fuel to run additional generators from Dec. 12 to Dec. 18 was roughly $1.1 million.
“What we paid for diesel during the cold period was just over $744,000, and what we spent on LNG was just over $407,000,” she said.
Yukon Energy is paying 93 cents a litre for diesel and 50 cents a litre for liquefied natural gas, Patterson said.
During the spell of frigid temperatures, the publicly owned utility was maximizing its use of available hydro generation but still required additional generation to meet demand.
The all-time record of 88.13 megawatts of generation was hit last Thursday morning when temperatures were well below -30 C across the territory.
As well, the Minto Mine was back up to its regular demand requiring five megawatts of generation.
The mine had been running at about half of its regular load earlier in the week because its mill was down for six days to allow for the replacement of a motor on its SAG mill. But even with half the mine’s demand, Yukon Energy was still setting generation records.
Patterson explained last week the increase in demand is partly due to the preference for electric heat in new home construction.
When generation peaked last Thursday at 88.13 megawatts, approximately 77 per cent was being provided by hydro generation and 23 per cent by diesel and natural gas, according to records.
At mid-morning today, Yukon Energy was generating just under 67 megawatts to meet the demand, all of it being generated by hydro resources.
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Comments (16)
Up 19 Down 1
north_of_60 on Dec 21, 2016 at 4:28 pm
For about half the year, water is spilled over the dams because we don't need the electricity it could produce. It's been like that for decades. There are options for burning less fossil fuels at this time of year, and they don't need bogus CarbonTaxes to succeed.
Southern Lakes Enhanced Winter Storage Concept is one of those options.
The concept proposes to raise the controlled maximum level ... in the fall by about 30 centimeters and to lower the spring low level by 10 centimeters. The additional water would be released over the winter months, ... to produce more power ... during times of greatest energy demand.
This could be done without any new infrastructure.
The concept could contribute approximately six to eight gigawatt hours per year of extra winter generation. It would displace between 1.6 and 2.2 million litres of diesel fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 5,600 tones a year. It would save ... up to $2.3 million per year in displaced diesel or up to $2-million annually if using a combination of LNG and diesel.
https://www.yukonenergy.ca/energy-in-yukon/our-projects-facilities/hydro-enhancement/southern-lakes-enhanced-storage-concept/
The only thing stopping it is the influential NIMBYs who live at Marsh Lake. Is the new MLA who lives there part of the solution, or part of the problem?
Up 46 Down 2
Denise G on Dec 21, 2016 at 2:01 pm
We had a six day cold snap in December but the warmest November in 40 years. So how much fuel did YG save over those 30 day? That we never heard about.
Up 24 Down 4
Stu Winter on Dec 21, 2016 at 12:59 pm
The only issue here is that there was not enough thought many years ago in developing additional hydro electric projects.
First Nation governments will not be onside with water covering hunting areas and traplines. Not much potential for new large scale hydro electric development.
People consume a lot of energy and houses are way bigger than they need to be. The answer is a small nuclear generation facility with the safest fuel available.
Up 19 Down 7
Francis Pillman on Dec 21, 2016 at 12:55 pm
No one cares about your complaints Yukon Energy. Just another useless monopoly.
Up 48 Down 1
westofbelfast on Dec 21, 2016 at 10:22 am
Perhaps the title should read " Cold snap cost Yukon Energy CUSTOMERS $ 1 million-plus".
Up 28 Down 1
Trevor Braun on Dec 20, 2016 at 11:02 pm
What is missing from the story is how much did they charge for all the power they sold?? Consumers bought a record amount of power on several days. I would think that may be good for business, even if some of the power sold was not as profitable as the big chunk. It is true almost all the new housing and condo's are using electric heat. We will all pay for that down the road.... Consume, consume, consume. It's what we are good at.
Up 20 Down 19
Just Say'in on Dec 20, 2016 at 10:40 pm
Oh, on another note have you seen the City of Whitehorse has put Christmas lights on every single twig in town. Thanks Dan you are quite the guy. A little two faced though.
Up 21 Down 7
Just Say'in on Dec 20, 2016 at 10:38 pm
"Boy O Boy" people are hard to please. Hasn't the government been pushing people to electric with all of the government handouts? Didn't they push them all to Wood and Propane in the past? There should be a government program to tell us what to do next. Oh Me, Oh My. Maybe Trudope will come to our rescue. I say shut the power off when we have reached our limit. I will be fine. Maybe those greenies may not be, isn't that strange.
Up 17 Down 2
Nile on Dec 20, 2016 at 9:59 pm
@Thomas. But then how would the Libs justify their new tax on the middle class?
Up 30 Down 1
Both Sides Of The Story Please on Dec 20, 2016 at 6:14 pm
Ok, so you burnt a million dollars worth of fuel during that period... Please also tell us how many millions you will be taking in from billing over that same period. I have little sympathy for Yukon Energy and their ever increasing energy rates over the last few years under the guise of having to pay for fuel, among other things. We all pay mightily under cost plus for each kw hour they produce. Through energy efficiency I now generally use around 700 kw hours per month instead of 1000 per month like I used to, but surprise, surprise those 700 kw hours now cost roughly the same as the 1000 kw hours used to just a few short years ago. My 'reward' for doing energy efficient renovations and switching to energy efficient lighting and appliances has been to pay about the same overall for electricity.
Up 23 Down 2
Bobby Smith on Dec 20, 2016 at 5:57 pm
Thomas - It's not fair to blame professional developers. There are plenty of individual homeowners who are building or updating their own residences and choosing electric over propane, oil, firewood, etc. because it's perceived as being more environmentally friendly....when it's clearly not. Case in point, the amount of diesel and LNG consumed by YEC earlier this month.
Up 18 Down 2
jc on Dec 20, 2016 at 5:34 pm
What does Yukon Energy care, they will get it all back and more from the increase in our monthly bills they promised to give us over the next several years.
Up 14 Down 2
Yukon res on Dec 20, 2016 at 5:25 pm
Thomas B
You would think that YE would, but on the other hand, what better way to force marginal hydro projects, such as reversing Gladstone creek, through?
Get everyone using hydro, run into shortages during peak demand, throw up your hands and say "see, we need another mega project".
Fast reactor technology is going to be the wave of the future, and why we aren't seriously looking at this for our power needs is beyond me.
Cue the completely ill informed Fukushima comments.
Up 21 Down 3
Evereet C. Ball on Dec 20, 2016 at 4:44 pm
This is all predicated on bs so they can garner some public sympathy for rate increases which they were just at the trough for in the order of 13%. Cry me a river.
Up 18 Down 4
Hugh Mungus on Dec 20, 2016 at 4:13 pm
C'mon Tommy boy. All modern construction should use electric heat generated via hyrdo. It's certainly cleaner than LNG or diesel. Yukon Energy and YG have dropped the ball on identifying a new hyrdo project in the past 25 years or even a small scale nuclear plant that can pump 5-50 MW. We are literally one operating mine from being unable to keep the lights on.
Up 53 Down 13
Thomas Brewer on Dec 20, 2016 at 3:35 pm
Developers take the cheapest options when building, electric baseboards are cheap and easy to install... to hell with the energy costs or consequences.
Given that our local renewable resource (hydro) has limitations, shouldn't there be limits placed on construction that are increasing this demand?