Yukon hit ‘red’ zone but rolling blackouts not needed over prolonged cold snap

Published 5:30 am Friday, January 9, 2026

During the extensive cold snap this winter, the Yukon hit the “red” zone as the electrical system came close to its limit but fell short of requiring rolling outages in the Whitehorse area, according to officials at a technical briefing.

An outage in Whitehorse’s Whistle Bend occurred on Dec. 8 during a peak in power use, but the system wasn’t strained at the time and was able to quickly recover, noted Katherine Babcock, Yukon Energy Corporation’s director of maintenance.

The next day, temperatures fell drastically, which involved another major peak in energy use.

On the morning of Dec. 10, the territory hit the “orange zone.” Major mines went offline, ATCO Electric Yukon stepped up its generators and social media posts were issued asking customers to limit electricity use. Babcock estimated that Yukoners reduced their load by about three to five megawatts for that evening.

On Dec. 12, the liquefied natural gas facility tripped offline, thrusting the territory into the “red” zone. Mine remediation sites disconnected, more social media posts were issued and the process of engaging with the Yukon Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) began. But the facility was brought back online, so they didn’t have to carry out stage four of mutual aid, in which EMO engages with other facilities, Babcock said.

The purpose of the technical briefing on Jan. 7 was to inform the media about the status of the Yukon’s electricity system, cold weather protocols and emergency preparedness following several weeks of cold weather and snow. Officials outlined the plans in place for if and when the power grid becomes maxed out, prompting the potential need for rolling outages.

At times during the prolonged cold period — with the temperature falling to -55.7 C in Braeburn on Dec. 23 — the territory’s energy generation capacity was near its limit, particularly during peak times of power use in the morning and evening, according to Babcock.

The main power grid is managed by two utilities: Yukon Energy Corporation, a Yukon government corporation that is primarily responsible for generation and transmission, and ATCO Electric Yukon, the private company in charge of distribution.

Officials explained that coloured zones are used to designate the proportion of generation that Yukon Energy Corporation has in use compared to the per cent available. The “green” zone indicates normal operations at less than 70 per cent; “yellow” means 70 to 85 per cent or heightened awareness; “orange” refers to use in the 86 to 90 per cent range which is nearing safe operating limits; and “red” signals all mutual aid supports are engaged and rolling outages may be required.

Babcock outlined the steps for mutual aid that first involve calling on industrial customers (major mines) to disconnect from the grid. Second, ATCO will fire up their community diesel generators that are connected to the grid. Third, mine remediation sites are asked to self-generate. Fourth, EMO is engaged and other larger customers (such as the Canada Games Centre) that have their own generators go off the grid. Fifth, the public is requested to reduce electricity use to “critical use only” via the alert ready system for emergency notifications.

ATCO Electric Yukon manager Tony Badry said all distribution assets are running as normal in the cold weather; their five standby plants are “fuelled and ready”, more personnel are on call, and non-essential maintenance work has been deferred.

If rotating outages in Whitehorse are required as a last resort, then as much notice as possible will be given and critical services will be maintained. The blackouts, which would each take effect for two to four hours before power is restored and the next area is taken offline, won’t focus on any one neighbourhood and will be dispersed, per officials.

The purpose of the rotating outages is to prevent a “cascading system outage,” Badry said. He added that means ensuring proper voltage and frequency control.

“By using small, manageable outages, we’re going to avoid large voltage drops or surges that could be dangerous to our crews and the general public,” Badry said.

“It’s very easy for the utilities to de-energize, but when we go to re-energize, that’s when things change.”

He said the public can help reduce the load at critical times by limiting non-critical electricity use. This includes practices such as delaying dishwashing, laundry or charging one’s vehicle as well as unplugging hot water tanks and freezers.

Officials reminded Yukoners to update their 72-hour emergency kits to match the season, which could mean adding a flashlight, shovel and blankets.

They noted that Yukon hospitals and long-term care homes have back-up power sources. The Canada Games Centre can be used as a warming centre as needed, per officials.

Babcock indicated that a transmission line connecting the Yukon’s isolated electrical grid to the North American grid through British Columbia isn’t a silver bullet for addressing the territory’s energy capacity woes.

“We still need to be able to rely on being self-supported, because transmission lines do go down. So if that transmission line goes down, we want to ensure Yukoners still have enough generation to be supported,” she said.

A statement to the News from the Yukon Energy Corporation following the briefing notes that “demands for electricity in the Yukon are increasing faster than dependable sources of electricity can be built.”

“Population growth and increased use of electricity are driving up demands for power. Peak demands for power from Yukon homes and businesses (not mines) are projected to increase significantly, rising by approximately 55 per cent by 2030 and around 90 per cent by 2035 compared to 2020 levels.”

The energy corp has stated that more than $500 million is needed to build up the electricity system between 2025 and 2030.

Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com