The Bellekeno Mine and mill, and Keno City, were back on grid power Tuesday evening after two days without the main power supply because of three power poles that fell down.

Yukon Energy spokesman Guy Morgan said today power from the Mayo-Dawson City grid was interrupted at 8:16 p.m. last Sunday and restored at 6:20 p.m. Tuesday.

"Three structures fell to the ground in a swampy area,” Morgan explained.

"To accommodate the repairs, we needed a road built into the site, we needed a Nodwell (tracked vehicle), and we used a contract crew from Arctic Power that did a great job.”

The Alexco Resource Corp. reported in a press release Tuesday it had to shut down production at both the mine site and mill located in Keno City.

Back-up generators, however, provided power to essential operations such as water treatment.

Alexco officials were unavailable this morning to discuss what if any impact the power outage will have on the company's bottom line.

Laura Carlson, the spokeswoman for Yukon Electrical Co. Ltd., said a crew was dispatched Sunday night with a back-up generator to provide its 56 Keno City customers who were without power for almost 12 hours, until the generator was fired up at 8 a.m. Monday.

Morgan said the three poles were supported by crib structures but in swampy conditions can become vulnerable to moisture over time.

When one pole fails, it tends to pull down the others closest to it, he said.

Morgan said as it happens, there was a crew already scheduled to fly the line between Mayo and Keno City today, as part of Yukon Energy's regular spring inspections of all its lines.

Normally, he pointed out, if maintenance work is required and can wait, it's done in the fall, when the ground is frozen and access is easier.

But if the crew reports immediate issues, they'll be acted on right away, he said.

With the Bellekeno Mine and mill off-line, there was no requirement for the diesel generators in Dawson, though they were operating this morning, as they have been since Alexco got going last fall.

\By Dan Joling

The Associated Press