During a severe cold spell in the Yukon last month, residents were urged to reduce their energy consumption to prevent a potential electricity shortage. As temperatures plummeted below -40°C in Whitehorse and even lower in other areas of the territory on December 11, residential users managed to decrease their power usage by three to five megawatts, according to Katherine Babcock, the director of maintenance at Yukon Energy Corporation. This led to a lower evening peak demand on that day, with the territory’s grid reaching 123 megawatts during the cold snap and peaking at 127 megawatts on December 23, near its total capacity of 140 megawatts under optimal conditions.
Despite efforts to conserve energy, the breakdown of an LNG generating plant on December 12 pushed the territory’s electricity supply to over 91 percent of capacity, prompting officials to consider implementing rolling blackouts as a precautionary measure. Mines and mine reclamation sites were also requested to generate their own power to alleviate the strain on the grid.
As temperatures rose, power consumption decreased, stabilizing at around 99 megawatts on Wednesday, which represents 74 percent of the grid’s total capacity. Meanwhile, ATCO Electric Yukon increased staffing levels and postponed non-essential maintenance to be prepared for any future cold snaps. The company also intensified inspections of rural transmission lines to prevent potential power outages caused by heavy snow loading and hazardous trees.
The Yukon faces challenges in increasing its overall generation capacity, heavily relying on rented diesel generators for approximately 40 megawatts of supply due to a lack of significant permanent capacity additions in recent years. Energy demand has been steadily growing, with a three-megawatt increase observed between November 2024 and November 2025. The completion of a grid-scale storage battery, aimed at storing hydro power for high-demand periods, has faced setbacks, leading to concerns about its effectiveness in meeting energy storage needs.
To address these issues, Yukon Energy is moving forward with the Whitehorse Power Centre project, which includes the construction of two new thermal power plants fueled by diesel or liquefied natural gas, alongside a new substation. Additionally, plans for the B.C. grid connect project, aiming to link the Yukon to the western Canadian grid, are underway, though this initiative comes with significant costs and a lengthy construction timeline.
Despite potential future connections to external grids, Babcock emphasized the importance of self-sufficiency in the face of unpredictable weather events that could disrupt transmission lines, underscoring the need for the Yukon to maintain its ability to operate independently.