Lack of snow means Yukon Energy can't produce as much hydro power

Some parts of Yukon saw less snow than usual this past winter and that means Yukon Energy likely won't generateas much hydro power this year.

Instead, the power producer will likely rely more on its liquid natural gas(LNG) and diesel generatorsto meet demand, and could be urging Yukoners to conserve power if dry conditions continue through the summer.

"One of the reasons why we have these LNG and diesel generators aroundis, they're not only for peakingduring the winter, but also to cover off this downside scenario, where we do have a drought condition," said Andrew Hall, CEO of Yukon Energy.

According to the Yukon government's Aprilsnow survey report issued earlier this month, the snow pack was well below the historical median through most of southern and central Yukon.

Warm weather in March meant a lot of the thin snow cover melted quickly, and precipitation for the month was also "well below" normal in central and southcentral Yukon, the report says.

Hall says Yukon Energy focuses on three watershed areas, where its generating stations are. All had thinner snow pack over this past winter, particularly the Aishihik area.

"Droughts don't happen very often. I mean, the last one we had was back in the 1990s," Hall said.

"So right now the practice has been to rely on our thermal so, our LNG and diesel to cover off that drought risk."

The company estimates that anywhere from 10 to 20 per cent of Yukon's power next fall and winter could be from its thermal generators. Hall says it depends on how much rain Yukon sees this summer.

He alsosays the company has also been studying climate change research, to see how that might affect its hydro operations in the future. He says Yukon is likely to see more precipitation, on average, over the long term but also more variability from year to year.

"I think we will be looking at that strange combination of overall wetter [conditions], but perhaps more extremes in terms of very wet years and then perhaps drought years," he said.