April 12, 2013 – Yukon Electrical Co. Ltd. says its application for the Watson Lake liquefied natural gas (LNG) project has been accepted by the Yukon Environmental Assessment Board (YESAB). The project, to be undertaken in partnership with ATCO Gas and ATCO Energy Solutions, now moves to the “seeking views and information” phase of the evaluation process.

“We are very excited to undertake this project: the first of its kind in Yukon, to explore the potential for LNG as a safe and affordable alternative fuel for electricity generation,” said Dwight Redden, general manager, Yukon Electrical. “We believe that once a supply chain has been established for LNG in the North, the cost savings and environmental benefits from displacing the use of diesel will be very positive.”

The project will convert one of the six diesel-fired electrical generators at Watson Lake to a bi-fuel system able to accept natural gas, displacing about 50% of the diesel consumed by the generator.

Yukon Electrical expects the cost of LNG, which will be transported from a location in southwestern BC to an onsite storage facility in Watson Lake, will be competitive with diesel. ATCO Gas will construct and maintain the storage and vaporization facility that will be required to convert the LNG back to a gas for use in the generator. The construction and conversion is expected to begin in this spring, with start-up anticipated in the fall.

Interested parties are encouraged to learn more about the Watson Lake bi-fuel project and submit any questions or comments through the YESAB online registry.

Yukon Electrical, ATCO Gas and ATCO Energy Solutions are part of the ATCO Group of Companies.