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Canada and Yukon repurposing former Dawson landfill for solar power

August 30, 2021 – A solar power project will be constructed in Dawson City, Yukon, on the city’s former landfill.

“The opportunity to take an otherwise unusable brownfield site and generate renewable electricity from our famous ‘midnight sun’ was irresistible,” said Jackie Olson, president, Klondike Development Organization. “KDO is excited to be building this solar power project to support Dawson’s sustainability.”

The Government of Canada is investing $486,000 in this project through the Arctic Energy Fund, and $105,000 through the Northern REACHE Program. Yukon, meantime, is investing $71,500; the Klondike Development Organization is contributing $101,949, and the City of Dawson $11,500.

Once completed, this project is expected to generate 280 MWh of energy annually, reducing the city’s dependency on back-up diesel generation, and displacing 91.6 tonnes of annual GHG emissions.

“It’s great to see renewable energy projects in all of our communities,” said John Streicker, Yukon Minister responsible for the Yukon Development Corp. “These projects help the Yukon meet the goals set out in Our Clean Future while reducing the local reliance on fossil fuels, in turn making Dawson City more self-sufficient.”