Yukon Energy has decided where it wants to build two new thermal power plants in the Whitehorse area.

The company says the two plants, which will burn either diesel or liquefied natural gas, are needed to meet the growing city’s energy demands.

One site is at Deep Creek, near Lake Laberge north of the city, and the other is on the Copper Haul Road within city limits.

Yukon Energy CEO Joe MacGillivray said the company started two years ago with a list of 22 potential sites and eventually settled on the final two as the best options. 

“We’ve considered location, you know, suitability of the location, nearest residences, emissions, sound — those types of things,” he said.

He said the Deep Creek facility will generate 90 megawatts of power, while the Copper Haul Road facility will generate 60 megawatts.

Proposed site for one of Yukon Energy's new thermal energy plants, at Deep Creek near Lake Laberge.

The proposed site at Deep Creek, near Lake Laberge, on Ta’an Kwäch’än Council traditional territory. (Yukon Energy)

MacGillivray said the plants are a necessity right now as the grid is under increasing strain.

“We’ve been in deficit for power supply over the past couple of years,” McGillivray said. “We really saw it come to the fore last winter when we were, you know, close to rolling blackouts.”

He said the company is looking at how to reduce the amount of noise coming from the new plants. That’s a concern many residents have raised in the past about Yukon Energy’s generators.

MacGillivray said the company will aim to meet B.C. noise regulations as Yukon does not have any. He also believes concerns about noise are related to the older diesel generators used in the territory, and that newer technology can be quieter.

He said a decision has yet to be made about whether the plants will run on diesel or liquefied natural gas, though the Copper Haul site will at least initially run on diesel.

The project, estimated at more than $100 million, still has to go through an environmental assessment and McGillivray said the company will submit its proposal to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) sometime in the coming months. 

Yukon Energy's proposed routing for connecting its two planned thermal energy plants in the Whitehorse area to the grid.

A map shows the location of the two sites and Yukon Energy’s proposed routes for transmission lines connecting them to the grid. (Yukon Energy)

He also said there are “layers of regulatory and planning approvals” in the city, where the Copper Haul Road plant would be subject to the city’s master plan. The Deep Creek project is on Ta’an Kwäch’än Council traditional territory and MacGillivray says the First Nation is on board with the proposal.

“It’s nice to be entering into a partnership with the First Nation on this site,” he said.

The company will also need to figure out where to build transmission lines to connect the power plants to the grid. It says the aim would be to use existing transmission corridors or road rights-of-way where possible, and will work with property owners as it plans the routes.

The company hopes to begin construction of the two plants in spring 2028.