Seasonal and Pumped Storage Hydro Opportunity Search in the Carmacks to Faro Road and Power Line Corridor, An Office Study

Transcription

1 Seasonal and Pumped Storage Hydro Opportunity Search in the Carmacks to Faro Road and Power Line Corridor, An Office Study Prepared for Yukon Conservation Society (YCS) June 25, 2015 Prepared by John F. Maissan Leading Edge Projects Inc.

2 About the Yukon Conservation Society The Yukon Conservation Society (YCS) is a grassroots environmental non-profit organization, established in Our mandate is to pursue ecosystem well-being throughout the Yukon and beyond, recognizing that human well-being is ultimately dependent upon fully functioning healthy ecosystems. YCS has been engaged in energy issues in the Yukon with an active energy committee for more than ten years. We bring information to the table to encourage the pursuit of energy projects that reduce our climate change impacts and fossil fuel dependence, and provide local economic development opportunities. We have participated in YESAB assessments, Water Board and Utilities Board hearings including Yukon Energy s Mayo B hydro project and LNG facility. We submit comments for every energy-related public consultation, and are currently an active participant in the Yukon Development Corporation Next Generation Hydro process. YCS does not support additional big hydro projects in the Yukon because of the negative environmental, socio-economic and cultural impacts. However, we do believe hydro can play an important role in the Yukon s energy mix into the future. To support the discussion and exploration of low impact hydro alternatives in the Yukon, YCS commissioned John Maissan to conduct this study on pumped storage hydro potential in central Yukon. It is not the intent of YCS to conduct further study into the feasibility of the potential project sites identified in this desk-top study. However, we hope that by making this information public, interested parties will continue to explore the potential of these sites as well as other pumped and seasonal storage sites across the territory. Yukon Conservation Society Disclaimer This study was a desk-top exercise carried out by John Maissan. The potential project sites identified in this report have not received any social, environmental, or economic evaluation. YCS has not endorsed or passed judgment on any of the identified potential project sites. ii

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS About the Yukon Conservation Society... ii Yukon Conservation Society Disclaimer... ii TABLE OF CONTENTS... iii INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND... 2 METHODOLOGY... 3 Site Identification... 4 Hydrology... 4 Site Evaluation... 6 Conclusions... 6 Figure 1: Study area showing A sites (green dots) and B sites (yellow dots)... 7 A RATED SITES... 8 Claire Lake area... 8 Figure 2: Clair Lake area portion of topographic map 105E-14, potential dam sites are circled... 9 Anvil Creek Figure 3: Anvil Creek portion of topographic map sheet 105K-05, the potential dam site is circled Small lake 9 km E of Faro Figure 4: Small lake east of Faro, portion of topographic map 105K-03, the potential downstream dam site is circled B RATED SITES RECOMMENDATIONS ALSO INCLUDED: Appendix A: YCS hydro site inventory list Appendix B: hydrology summary Appendix C: Leading Edge Hydro Study Analyses and Ratings Appendix D: YCS hydro site inventory list sorted iii

4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY An office study of the Robert Campbell Highway road and power line corridor from Carmacks to Faro has revealed that there are potential opportunities for smaller scale seasonal (6 winter months) and / or pumped storage hydro power the majority of which have not been previously identified. While none could yet be described as a sure thing, there are five that are considered worthy of further work at this time and five more that may be of interest following some field investigation. The five sites deserving of further work at this time are found in three locations, one cluster of three and two individual projects. The cluster of three is centered on Claire Lake south of the Little Salmon and Yukon Rivers (about 45 km east of Carmacks) 16 to 18 kilometers from the highway and power line. Claire Lake appears the most attractive of the three but West Claire Lake (so named by the author) and a small lake north of Claire Lake round out an area that together has the potential to provide 15 to 20 GWh per year of new energy supply to the grid and in the order of 25 MW of winter peaking capacity through pumped storage. Anvil Creek, about 30 km west of the Faro Mine plant infrastructure (the electrical substation, the mill, and the tailings impoundment structure as well as at least one open pit and waste rock dump), was identified in past studies (and rejected), however the author believes that this site merits a new look from the perspective of seasonal storage (and perhaps pumped storage). The drainage basin has the potential to provide in the order of 79 GWh of new energy annually to the grid and close to 20 MW of winter capacity if the runoff is stored for a six month winter period. A small high altitude lake about 9 km east of Faro and located near Faro mine road infrastructure and only 12 km from the Faro substation is the fifth site meriting further investigation. The topography around this lake suggests that 5 to 10 MW of winter season peaking capacity could be developed with pumped storage. In addition to these five there are five other sites that have the potential to be advanced further but require a limited amount of field work to determine if site topography makes these possible. Each of the 10 sites referred to above would face some challenges, but the potential significant winter benefits may well outweigh impacts (environmental and other) due to their relatively limited footprints. 1

5 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Pumped storage hydro is the pumping of water up to a high elevation storage reservoir in time periods of off-peak or low cost energy and the use of that water to generate power in times of peak demand or high cost energy. Pumped storage applications use turbine-generators that can double as a pump-motor combination so that the same physical equipment is used when water is moved in either direction: up to store water and energy, or down to generate energy through turbines. Pumped storage facilities are typically used on a daily cycle to make use of off-peak night-time energy to provide daytime peak demand capacity and/or energy. Seasonal storage hydro is a term coined by the author to mean a hydro facility that can capture and hold essentially all annual water flows for use at any specified time of year. In the Yukon context it would mean storing the high summer water flows (when energy and demand requirements are low) for use in winter periods when energy and demand requirements are high and natural water flows low. The goal of such facilities would be to displace winter fossil fuel use for electricity generation and, in the coming years, build the space heat market and other uses that displace fossil fuels. Historically the search for potential hydro power development sites in Yukon followed the three main principles of identifying storage opportunities (large natural lakes where possible), areas of higher precipitation (or larger drainage basin area where precipitation levels are lower), and where topography provides significant head (or the ability to develop head with a dam). The head is the elevation difference between the water level going into a hydro plant and the level of the discharge level measured in feet or metres. Most of the Yukon receives relatively low levels of precipitation (Ecoregions of the Yukon Territory (edited by C.A.S. Smith et al, 2004) indicates typical valley floors receive 250 to 300 mm annually and higher elevations from 400 to 600 mm annually). Thus larger drainage basins were typically sought out for their higher flows. Another feature of Yukon s climate are the long winters during which snow accumulates on the ground. This snow melts in spring and early summer creating a brief period of high water flows (typically in June). Water flows typically drop significantly through the winter and reach their minimum in April or May. But for natural storage in lakes (or created reservoirs), power production would mirror seasonal water flows. The author is unaware of any hydro reconnaissance work that specifically sought sites with the attributes suitable to pumped or seasonal storage. Consequently there is really no accumulated body of information on potential pumped or seasonal storage hydro projects. Moon Lake (in Northern BC) was identified in hydro reconnaissance work carried out for Yukon Energy Corporation in the early 1990s and identified in a by the way fashion as also being potentially suitable for pumped storage. The Aishihik power plant is essentially a seasonal storage facility in that the control dam at the outlet of the large natural lake allows for the entire average inflow to be stored for use at any desired time. Consequently it is an extreme valuable and useful plant in that the available water is almost all stored for use in meeting Yukon s winter peak capacity and energy requirements. The Mayo hydro plant, thanks to the regulation of Mayo Lake, can provide almost steady year- 2

6 round power. However the Whitehorse Rapids hydro plant provides (or can) much more summer power than winter. This would be fairly typical of the vast majority of potential hydro projects that have been identified in the past. As recently as the 1980s and 1990s, when the Faro Mine was running, large amounts of diesel generation in the winter made up the winter shortfall. However, with fossil fuel prices being much higher now and the global awareness of the significant impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on climate, there is strong public pressure to reduce these GHG emissions. Winter building heating, which is predominantly served by fossil fuels, also produces significant winter GHG emissions. To displace GHG producing fossil fuel use, it will be necessary to use greener sources of energy, whether hydro, wind, solar or other sources. The storage of green energy available in summer for use in winter (or from intermittent sources such as wind or solar, or even run-of-river hydro) is a challenge. Seasonal and pumped storage hydro facilities, together with the existing hydro facilities (and new future sources of energy) could be used in Yukon to store energy in the summer season for use in winter, and can firm up intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar, to complement their grid contributions. Since there have been no systematic studies to identify seasonal or pumped storage facilities in Yukon, YCS commissioned the author to do a desk-top study to search for seasonal and pumped storage opportunities along the Carmacks to Faro road and power line corridor (Robert Campbell Highway and 138,000 volt or 138 kv power line). METHODOLOGY The study was carried out in five main steps: 1. Identify and organize the 1:50,000 topographic maps encompassing the study area; 2. Site identification on topographic maps; 3. Identify the hydrological attributes to be applied to the sites; 4. Site evaluation using the hydrology and physical characteristics of each site, including rating each site; and 5. Develop conclusions and recommendations with respect to the sites. The 1:50,000 topographic maps that encompassed the Carmacks to Faro road and power line corridor were identified and organized into a study pattern that could be easily followed. Since the study area encompassed eight 1:50,000 topographic map sheets from west to east, the author chose to divide the corridor into eight slices numbered 1 to 8 from west (Carmacks) to east (Faro). In a north to south direction the corridor required three 1:50,000 map sheets which were identified as a to c starting from the north. Some of the most southerly maps are split into east and west halves. 3

7 The detailed methodologies used in each of the subsequent steps are described in the relevant sections below. Finally, some overall conclusions and recommendations are provided to the client, YCS. Site Identification The paper maps were studied one slice at a time, generally from west to east and north to south, to identify sites with some potential for seasonal storage, or pumped storage, or some combination of both. Physical features sought out included the potential head between the storage opportunity and the water body to which it would discharge. A head of about 300 feet (91.4 metres) was considered a minimum requirement. Another important feature sought was topography potentially suitable for the construction of a dam (or dams) to develop reservoir storage and, in some cases, to increase the head. Ideally this would be an existing lake discharging through a narrow valley or canyon. Site head was measured in imperial units (feet) then converted to metres since the topographic maps were all in the imperial scale (100 foot contours). Drainage basins were estimated based on the topographic maps, which have grid lines at 1 km intervals. The sites were numbered sequentially and recorded in an Excel spreadsheet. A total of 27 potential sites were identified in the study corridor during the review of the topographic maps. Of these sites four had been identified or considered in past studies or reconnaissance programs. These sites range in head from about 300 feet (91 metres) to 1,900 feet (579 metres) and drainage basins ranged from about 1 km 2 (square kilometre) to 832 km 2. The relevant details of each of the 27 sites are presented in a spreadsheet in Appendix A. This spreadsheet includes the hydrological and power calculations outlined in the following sections of this report. Hydrology Following site identification, the Water Survey of Canada website ( was searched for records of river and stream flows (hydrology) in or near the study corridor. Ten data sets of varying periods of time were identified and the monthly flow data was downloaded in Excel spreadsheet format. Shorter data sets were compared to the same periods of time in the relevant longer data sets and correlated to the entire time period of record for the longer one to minimize the chance of using an uncharacteristically low or high flow time period. This step ended with the calculation of a reasonable first estimate of the annual water volume (in cubic metres) available per square kilometer of drainage basin. For any site with any seasonal storage potential (even in addition to pumped storage) the annual water volume available provides new energy and capacity to the grid. When considering a site with potential for pumped storage only (i.e. no appreciable drainage basin) the value of the new energy and capacity are negligible and the inflow volume can be ignored. 4

8 The ten rivers and streams potentially relevant to the study area are: 1. Nordenskiold River; 2. Big Salmon River; 3. South Big Salmon River (below Livingston Creek); 4. Nsutlin River above Wolf River; 5. Drury Creek; 6. Rose Creek below Faro Creek; 7. Ross River at Ross River (community); 8. Pelly River below Fortin Creek; 9. Pelly River at Ross River (community), includes Ross River; and 10. Pelly River at Pelly Crossing. Numbers 1, Nordenskiold River, and 8, Pelly River below Fortin Creek were considered not adequately representative of the study area and rejected. The Nordenskiold River drains an area that is predominantly well west of the study area and includes some of the very dry areas near the Aishihik Lake drainage basin. The Pelly River below Fortin Creek drains an area well east of the study area including the mountains that form Yukon s border with Northwest Territories where precipitation levels are higher than the study area. Numbers 3, South Big Salmon River, 5, Drury Creek, and 10, Pelly River at Pelly Crossing were considered to be the most representative of the area. The South Big Salmon river drains similar terrain to the south of the study area, Drury Creek is entirely within the study area, and the Pelly River drains similar terrain the north side of the study area (even though it includes an area of higher precipitation to the east). Based on this data, an annual water supply of 240,000 m 3 per km 2 of drainage basin was considered to be a conservative but a reasonable first approximation for the purposes of this study. A summary of the hydrological data is provided in Appendix B. A one-half year period (4383 hours) or six months was chosen by the author as representing the typical winter season over which any stored energy would be withdrawn and used. The seasonal power available over six months from the drainage basin for each site was calculated. As well, given the estimated area of the storage body of water, the height (in metres) of stored water to provide 5 MW and 10 MW of average winter power output was calculated. These figures are all included in the spreadsheet in Appendix A. The power calculation for each site was based on the following formula: Power in kw = flow (m 3 /sec) x 9.8 (gravitational constant) x (m of head) x 80% (conversion efficiency). The conversion efficiency is believed by the author to be a typical figure that can be expected from hydro plants with 300 feet or more of head. The annual new energy from water originating in each drainage basin was based on the following formula: Annual energy in kwh = average power in kw x 4383 hours/year. 5

9 Site Evaluation Site evaluations were based on various factors, first the seasonal power (winter season six months) available from each of the identified sites was calculated based on the head, drainage basin, and storage area. Also considered was the water storage ranges required to produce an average of 5 MW and 10 MW of seasonal power. Based on these results and a subjective analysis of each of the sites, they were rated from A to E as follows: A: worth investigating further B: needs a closer look (field check) or some additional work before advancing further C: too small for a utility scale project but possibly meriting an IPP investigation D: unknown potential due to topographic uncertainty E: does not merit further investigation. A table summarizing the rating of every identified site was prepared, see Appendix C. All identified sites were then sorted by rating. The annual new energy provided by runoff from the drainage basin was calculated for the better sites with drainage basins of more than about 10 km 2 and was used in the evaluation for ratings. The complete list of identified sites (Appendix A) was sorted according to the ratings, see Appendix D. There are three identified sites in fairly close proximity to each other in the Claire Lake area which have been grouped, since access to this area would be challenging and the benefits of all three grouped is more likely to justify development. The largest of these clustered sites, Claire Lake, appears to have multiple possible dam sites owing to a long narrow downstream drainage valley / canyon. This grouping was rated A. Two other sites were rated A as well. There were five sites rated B, for which a field review and possibly some further consideration would be required before a more accurate rating could be assigned. Conclusions There are potential sites for the development of seasonal and / or pumped storage in the road and power line corridor between Carmacks to Faro. Some of these sites have been identified in past hydro reconnaissance work and, in the author s opinion, merit a fresh look. Others have not, to the author s knowledge, been identified in the past but merit further investigation. The best sites meriting further investigation were rated A and are described in some detail below. The next best sites, rated B, which require a field inspection or more before they can be advanced, are described briefly. Figure 1 is a map of the study area showing the approximate locations of the A and B sites. 6

10 Figure 1: Study area showing A sites (green dots) and B sites (yellow dots) Claire Lake area Anvil Creek Small lake 7

11 A RATED SITES There are three potential development sites (including the grouping of three sites around Claire Lake) rated A and meriting further investigation. These are described in more detail below. Claire Lake area Sites 7, 8, and 9 located (primarily) on map sheet 105E-14W are combined into the referenced Claire Lake grouping. The reason these are grouped is that they are located across the Little Salmon and Yukon Rivers from the Robert Campbell Highway and the 138 kv power line, a distance of about 16 to 18 kilometres. Accessing site(s) for development will thus be a challenge. Claire Lake, site 9, is the largest of the three sites. Claire Lake has a surface area of about 18 km 2 and a modest drainage basin of about 167 km 2. It drains northward (to the Yukon River) through a very narrow outlet canyon and a narrow valley that continues for some 7 km before opening up 3 to 4 km from the Yukon River. There appear to be at least three potential dam sites, and the drainage basin would increase to close to 190 km 2 at the mouth of the valley. The head to the Yukon River is about 500 feet (152 metres). See Figure 2 below. 8

12 Figure 2: Clair Lake area portion of topographic map 105E-14, potential dam sites are circled Small lake N of Claire Lake West Claire Lake Claire Lake The drainage basin provides from 12 to 15 GWh per year of new energy (depending on dam location) which could provide from about 2.7 MW to 3.3 MW of average capacity for the winter period. The topography seems well suited for additional top storage on this lake, and only 3.7 m of storage is required for an average of 5 MW through the winter; 7.4 m of storage would provide 10 MW average through the winter. The potential for pumped storage is significant as there appears to be opportunity for more storage. Site 7 is a modest lake about 4 km west of the north end of Claire Lake that the author refers to as West Claire Lake (the map does not assign a name to it). This lake has a surface area of about 3 km 2 and drains north into the Yukon River through a narrow valley with a particularly narrow neck about 2 km downstream from the lake. This feature appears to provide an opportunity for substantial top storage perhaps 100 feet or more. Excluding any top storage, the head to the Yukon River is also about 500 feet. The pumped storage potential is clear. 9

13 The drainage basin of West Claire Lake is about 47 km 2, enough for about 3.7 GWh per year of new energy or about 0.8 MW through the winter months. For 5 MW of average winter capacity about 22 m of top storage is required, and for 10 MW about 44 m of storage is required. Given the increasing lake surface area with top storage this would seem to be physically possible. Site 8 is a small lake about 4 km north of Claire Lake and about 2 km from the Yukon River. It has a drainage basin of only about 7 km 2. This lake is 100 to 200 feet higher in altitude than Claire Lake, but the exact topography is uncertain and its features are less attractive than Claire Lake and West Claire Lake. Nonetheless it would appear to have potential as a pumped storage facility for perhaps as much as 5 MW. All three sites together then could provide between 15 and 20 GWh per year of new energy and probably in the order of 25 MW of winter peaking capacity through pumped storage. Anvil Creek Anvil Creek (site 18) is located on map sheet 105K-05, about 30 km due west of the Faro mine site. Rose Creek, which drains the Faro pit, processing plant, and tailings dam areas, is a tributary of Anvil Creek. Anvil Creek has a drainage basin of about 832 km 2, including Rose Creek, but has no substantial natural lakes for storage. The defining feature for the site is a high narrow valley / canyon which, if dammed, could create a reservoir of about 6 km 2 and of a substantial depth. This reservoir could have a head of about 600 feet to the Pelly River. See Figure 3 below. This drainage basin could produce, on average, about 9 MW year-round power or up to 18 MW through the 6 winter months. This represents about 79 GWh per year of new energy. The storage range required in a 6 km 2 reservoir is about 18 meters for a 10 MW winter plant capacity or 36 meters for a 20 MW winter only seasonal plant. The potential seasonal benefit is clear. 10

14 Figure 3: Anvil Creek portion of topographic map sheet 105K-05, the potential dam site is circled This site has been identified in past hydro studies and rejected; the author does not recall all the reasons, but distance from Faro and the Pelly River were factors. The site is some 30 km west of the Faro mine, and would require either a 4 km tunnel-penstock through a mountain to the Pelly River or about 10 km of canal-penstock along Anvil creek to the Pelly River. The powerhouse site on the Pelly River would be about 45 km west of the community of Faro (and an existing 138 kv substation). Given the potential for winter seasonal energy and capacity it seems to the author that the site merits re-investigation. Small lake 9 km E of Faro There is a small lake perched on a mountain about 9 km east of Faro. This small lake is a headwater lake of Vangorda Creek, which runs through the community. This lake is 1,400 feet (427 meters) above the Pelly River at the mouth of Blind Creek and drains westwards through a 11

15 narrow valley. The topography suggests that it could be dammed at the west end to create a reservoir with 100 to 200 feet of storage. A dam on the east end may also be necessary for the higher storage range. This site could potentially store adequate water volume to provide an average of between 5 and 10 MW of winter season capacity. There are roads to very near the site and the 138 kv substation in Faro is only about 12 km away along an existing road. In the author s opinion this is a potential pumped storage site worth investigating further. See Figure 3 below. Figure 4: Small lake east of Faro, portion of topographic map 105K-03, the potential downstream dam site is circled Faro Small lake B RATED SITES There are five sites rated B for which a field visit and perhaps other investigation would be needed to determine if topography favourable to development exists. These sites include Bearfeed Creek (site 6), which has a drainage basin of 351 km 2 and a potential head of 300 feet to the Little Salmon River (west of Little Salmon Lake) but no natural storage. An ability to develop suitable storage needs to be confirmed before this site could be considered seriously. Also included is Orchay Lakes (site 27), which has a drainage basin of about 568 km 2 (drains into the Pelly River about 29 km east of Faro and 17 km from the Blind Creek road), natural storage, and 300 feet or more of head. However, finding a suitable site for a dam to provide the head and canal or penstock intake may be challenging. Both of these sites have been considered in the past and rejected, but perhaps a closer second look would be worthwhile. 12

16 Two of the five sites (12 and 16) are south of the east end of Little Salmon Lake and have heads of 1,600 and 1,500 feet respectively. But the ability to develop adequate storage is not clear and needs to be confirmed. Site access may also be an obstacle. The last of the five B sites (site 19) is a small lake south of the Magundy River east of Little Salmon Lake. While closer to the highway and power line (about 4 km), it has only 700 feet of head and may require two dams to provide adequate storage; this requires field investigation. RECOMMENDATIONS The next step in the investigation of the potential seasonal and / or pumped storage sites would be to have someone with practical field experience in hydro development examine the sites in person. If the sites are then deemed to merit further advancement, a more detailed program of study, focused on the key technical aspects would need to be undertaken. The Yukon Conservation Society will need to decide how best to advance their interests with respect to the potential seasonal and pumped storage hydro sites identified in this report. 13

17 Appendix A

18 7 km to highway, river & 138 kv line E 7 km to Yukon River, 16 km to Highway & 138 kv line, 3.7 GWh new energy; access challenging A 8 small lake N of Claire Lake 105E-14W 6,870, ,500 pumped storage ,680, km to Yukon River, also see above A Appendix A YCS hydro site inventory list.xlsx Tabulation of potential hydro sites - Carmacks - Faro highway & power line corridor Prepared for the Yukon Conservation Society Potential hydro project sites numbered by 1:50,000 map "slice" west to east, and north to south 6 months = 4,383 hours = 15,778,800 seconds; 6 months at 5 MW = 21.9 GWh; See also separate Rating document 2 km to river, 3 km road, 6 km to C 6 months UTM coordinates Nature Basin Lake area Head Annual 6 mo flow Avg power m storage for 6 months of: Comments Rating No. Site description Map sheet(s) m N m E of site km2 km2 ft m m3 m3/sec kw 5 MW 10 MW Slice 1 1 small lake W of Carmacks 115I-01 6,886, ,000 Pumped storage ,880, Carmacks 2 small lake N of Carmacks 115I-01 6,894, ,000 Pumped storage ,000, beside highway, 4 km to river, 2 km to 138 kv line, 15 km to Carmacks E 3 v small lake N of Yukon River 115I-01 6,889, ,500 Pumped storage , , km to highway, river & 138 kv line E Slice 2 4 Small lake N of Yukon River 105L-04 6,887, ,000 Pumped storage ,680, V small lake N of Yukon river 105L-04 6,882, ,400 Pumped storage , , , km to highway, river & 138 kv line E Slice 3 6 Bearfeed Creek 105L-06 & -03 6,898, ,000 Seasonal storage ,240, , create reservoir with dam, 4 km to road and 138 kv line, 6 km to Little Salmon River, 16.7 GWh new energy; considered and rejected in past B 7 "West Claire Lake", S of Little Salmon & Yukon Rivers 105E-14W 6,866, ,300 pumped storage ,280, a Claire Lake, at outlet 9b Claire Lake, downstream 105E-14W &14E & others South 6,865, ,600 Seasonal & pumped ,480, , E-14W &14E & others South 6,866, ,000 Seasonal & pumped ,240, , km to Yukon river, 12.1 GWh new energy, also see above A 8 km to Yukon River, 14.0 GWh new energy, also see above A 9c Claire Lake further downstream Slice 4 105E-14W &14E & others South 6,867, ,600 Seasonal & pumped ,680, , km to Yukon River, 14.5 GWh new energy, also see above A Page 1 of 3

19 4 km to Little Salmon Lake, 7 km from highway & 138 kvpower line, across Magundy River, access challenge? B 2 dams to create reservoir, 2 km to Magundy R, 4 km to road and 138 kv power line, access requires river crossing B Appendix A YCS hydro site inventory list.xlsx Potential hydro project sites numbered by 1:50,000 map "slice" west to east, and north to south 6 months = 4,383 hours = 15,778,800 seconds; 6 months at 5 MW = 21.9 GWh; See also separate Rating document 6 months UTM coordinates Nature Basin Lake area Head Annual 6 mo flow Avg power m storage for 6 months of: Comments Rating No. Site description Map sheet(s) m N m E of site km2 km2 ft m m3 m3/sec kw 5 MW 10 MW 10 Drury Lake 105L-07, 08, & 01 Conventional Previously studied for a 2.5 MW year-round project & rejected due to permafrost issues E 11 Creek N side of Little Salmon Lake 105L Seasonal (& pumped?) , No natural storage features, need to create reservoir C 12 Small lake S side of Little Salmon L 105L pumped storage , Dam on both ends, 5 km to Little Salmon Lake, challenging access B 13 Small lakes N side Telegraph Mtn. 105L pumped storage?? Needs investigation to see if a reservoir could be created, 6 km to Little Salmon Lake, challenging access D 14 Creeks, north side Little Salmon L 105L-02 pumped storage?? Slice 5 Investigate to see if reservoir could be created, 2-4 km from Highway & 138 kv power line, 1,000 to 3,000 ft head D 15 Small lake E of Little Salmon L 105L pumped storage km to highway and 138 kv power line, 2km creek to magundy River. D 16 Small lakes S of E end L Salmon L 105L pumped storage 5 1 1, Railway Survey Creek 105L Seasonal & pumped , km from road & 138 kv power line, need to create reservoir E Slice 6 18 Anvil Creek 105K-05 & others Seasonal & pumped , Considered and rejected in past, create reservoir with dam, 4 km tunnel to pelly R. or 10 km penstock along creek (permafrost?), 79 GWh new energy, 30 km road and power line to Faro mine site, 45 km along Pelly R to Faro A 19 V small lakes S of Magundy R. 105K-04 (105L-01) pumped storage Page 2 of 3

20 5 km from Pelly River at the same location as 26 below. E Dam site 7 km from Pelly River, small headpond, potential to regulate outflow at 3 km2 lake outlet, 13 km from Blind Creek road D Appendix A YCS hydro site inventory list.xlsx Potential hydro project sites numbered by 1:50,000 map "slice" west to east, and north to south 6 months = 4,383 hours = 15,778,800 seconds; 6 months at 5 MW = 21.9 GWh; See also separate Rating document 6 months UTM coordinates Nature Basin Lake area Head Annual 6 mo flow Avg power m storage for 6 months of: Comments Rating No. Site description Map sheet(s) m N m E of site km2 km2 ft m m3 m3/sec kw 5 MW 10 MW 20 V small lake S of Magundy R 105K pumped storage , Slice 7 could possibly create reservoir, S side of Magundy R, 3 km from site 19 above, 4 km to creek to provide head, 7 km to road and 138 kv power line D 21 Small lake on Mt. Mye 105K pumped storage Potential for reservoir unclear, 4 km to Faro mine road and 138 kv power line E 22 Small lake 9 km E of Faro 105K pumped storage , Create reservoir reverse flow to mouth of Blind Creek, 4 km to Blind Creek, 6 km to Pelly R, 2 km to a road & 12 km along road to Faro substation A 23 V small lake 6 km E of Blind Creek 105K pumped storage , Potential to create reservoir uncertain, 4 km to Pelly River, 5 km from bridge over Blind Creek from Faro E 24 V small lake 8 km E of Blind Creek 105K pumped storage , Potential to create reservoir uncertain, 1 km to Pelly River, 8 km from bridge over Blind Creek from Faro E Slice 8 25 Small lake S of Swin lakes 105K pumped storage East Swim Lake 105K Seasonal , Orchay Lakes to Pelly River 105K Seasonal & pumped? , Studied before & rejected, storage dam creates reservoir, 2.5 km to Pelly River, 26.9 GWh new energy, 17 km along river to Blind Creek road, potential for control/storage dam on western end of lake B Page 3 of 3

21 Appendix B

22 Conclusions on annual flow volume: No. 1 and 8 are not representative of study area, so do not consider. No. 3, 5, & 10 are most representative of study area Use 240,000 m3 per km2 as reasonable first approximation for study area Appendix B hydrology summary.xlsx Carmacks to Faro corridor: Water Survey of Canada representative data sets Note that only complete years of record were used (except for Rose Creek) No. Name Years Period Drainage area km2 Mean flow m3/sec Annual flow volume m3 per km2 1 Nordenskiold River , ,264 2 Big Salmon River , ,732 3 South Big Salmon River below Livingston Ck ,464 4 Nsutlin river above Wolf River , ,389 5 Drury Creek ,579 6 Rose Creek below Faro Creek (mix) ,209 7 Ross River at Ross River , ,440 8 Pelly River below Fortin Creek & , ,764 9 Pelly River at Ross River , , Pelly River at Pelly Crossing & , ,910 Drury Creek period is 4% below long term average based on Pelly River at Pelly Crossing Big Salmon River period is 0.04 % above LTA based on Pelly River at Pelly Crossing Pelly River below Fortin Creek is 2.2% above LTA based on Pelly River at Pelly Crossing South Big Salmon River is 2.3% above the LTA based on Big Salmon River Page 1 of 1

23 Appendix C

24 Appendix C Leading Edge Hydro Study Analyses and Ratings Prepared for the Yukon Conservation Society The ratings of potential hydro sites identified in a desk-top study of the Carmacks to Faro highway and power line corridor are as follows: A: Definite potential, worth investigating further B: Has potential but closer look / additional work is needed before advancing C: Too small for a utility scale project but has IPP potential D: Potential unknown, on-site topography needs to be investigated E: Reject, does not merit further investigation at this time The table below outlines the analyses of each site and the assigned ratings. Analysis and Ratings table Site No. Analyses Rating 1 Storage very limited, modest head, 4 km to Carmacks C 2 Storage very limited, modest head, too far from low voltage power E line for IPP 3 Storage not apparently available E 4 Modest head, adequate storage range not available E 5 Head reasonable but storage range not available E 6 Lower head (300 ft.), if reservoir could be created could be 5 MW B winter project with modest pumping volume, long penstock 7 Narrow canyon for dam, modest head, appears to have available A storage for 10 MW winter project, access challenging across Little Salmon & Yukon Rivers consider grouping with 8 and 9 below 8 Modest head, with some dams appears to have potential for up to 5 A MW winter project, access challenging, consider grouping with 7 above and 9 below 9 Significant lake size with fair drainage basin (about 3.8 MW winter or A 16.7 GWh new energy), modest head, but long narrow canyon discharge with apparent multiple possible dam sites, could be 10 MW winter project with very modest storage on lake, access challenging, consider grouping with 7 and 8 above 10 Rejected in past in Yukon Energy studies E 1

25 Appendix C Site No. Analyses Rating 11 Reasonable head but no natural storage features, storage would need to be developed with dam, potential as IPP if access to low voltage line within reasonable distance 12 Reasonable head, dams needed to create reservoir, could be up to 5 to 10 MW, access challenging (across Little Salmon Lake) 13 Good head, access challenging (across Little Salmon Lake), storage potential needs to be checked out 14 Reasonable head on many creeks, but need to look for storage opportunities not visible on topographic maps 15 Moderate to reasonable head very close to highway and power line, D but ability to create storage uncertain 16 Good head, but ability to create storage uncertain, access difficult B across Magundy River valley 17 Reasonable head, but no natural storage, dam required but adequate E storage volume unlikely, potential IPP but too far from low voltage power lines? 18 Appears good dam site to create 6 km 2 storage reservoir, Good A drainage basin (79 GWh per year), reasonable head and potential for 18 MW in winter from runoff only, distance to Faro Mine substation 30 km; site rejected in past 19 Moderate head, but if storage can be developed, could be 5 to 10 MW B winter site, access across Magundy River 20 Good head but ability to create storage volume uncertain D 21 Modest head, but limited apparent ability to create storage E 22 Good head, geographic features appear favourable to developing A storage, relatively close to roads and community & substation, potential for 5 MW or more winter capacity 23 Good head, but unlikely that storage capability is there E 24 Reasonable head but storage capability not there E 25 Moderate head but storage capability uncertain, 5 km from Pelly River E 26 Modest head, geography looks challenging D 27 Modest head, drainage basin can provide about 6 MW for winter, dam and lake regulation requires site inspection B C B D D 2

26 Appendix D

27 7 km to Yukon River, 16 km to Highway & 138 kv line, 3.7 GWh new energy; access challenging A 2 km to Yukon River, also see above A 10 km to Yukon river, 12.1 GWh new energy, also see above A 8 km to Yukon River, 14.0 GWh new energy, also see above A 6.5 km to Yukon River, 14.5 GWh new energy, also see above A Considered and rejected in past, create reservoir with dam, 4 km tunnel to pelly R. or 10 km penstock along creek (permafrost?), 79 GWh new energy, 30 km road and power line to Faro mine site, 45 km along Pelly R to Faro A Create reservoir reverse flow to mouth of Blind Creek, 4 km to Blind Creek, 6 km to Pelly R, 2 km to a road & 12 km along road to Faro Dam on both ends, 5 km to Little Salmon Lake, challenging access B 4 km to Little Salmon Lake, 7 km from highway & 138 kvpower line, across Magundy River, access Studied before & rejected, storage dam creates reservoir, 2.5 km to Pelly River, 26.9 GWh new energy, 17 km along river to Blind Creek road, potential for control/storage dam on western end of lake B 2 km to river, 3 km road, 6 km to Carmacks C No natural storage features, need to create reservoir C Appendix D YCS hydro site inventory list SORTED.xlsx Tabulation of potential hydro sites - Carmacks - Faro highway & power line corridor Prepared for the Yukon Conservation Society Potential hydro project sites numbered by 1:50,000 map "slice" west to east, and north to south 6 months = 4,383 hours = 15,778,800 seconds; 6 months at 5 MW = 21.9 GWh; See also separate Rating document 6 months UTM coordinates Nature Basin Lake area Head Annual 6 mo flow Avg power m storage for 6 months of: Comments Rating No. Site description Map sheet(s) m N m E of site km2 km2 ft m m3 m3/sec kw 5 MW 10 MW 7 "West Claire Lake", S of Little Salmon & Yukon Rivers 105E-14W 6,866, ,300 pumped storage ,280, small lake N of Claire Lake 105E-14W 6,870, ,500 pumped storage ,680, E-14W &14E & 9a Claire Lake, at outlet others South 6,865, ,600 Seasonal & pumped ,480, , E-14W &14E & 9b Claire Lake, downstream others South 6,866, ,000 Seasonal & pumped ,240, , c Claire Lake further downstream 105E-14W &14E & others South 6,867, ,600 Seasonal & pumped ,680, , Anvil Creek 105K-05 & others Seasonal & pumped , Small lake 9 km E of Faro 105K pumped storage , substation A 6 Bearfeed Creek 105L-06 & -03 6,898, ,000 Seasonal storage ,240, , create reservoir with dam, 4 km to road and 138 kv line, 6 km to Little Salmon River, 16.7 GWh new energy; considered and rejected in past B 12 Small lake S side of Little Salmon L 105L pumped storage , Small lakes S of E end L Salmon L 105L pumped storage 5 1 1, challenge? B 19 V small lakes S of Magundy R. 105K-04 (105L-01) pumped storage dams to create reservoir, 2 km to Magundy R, 4 km to road and 138 kv power line, access requires river crossing B 27 Orchay Lakes to Pelly River 105K Seasonal & pumped? , small lake W of Carmacks 115I-01 6,886, ,000 Pumped storage ,880, Creek N side of Little Salmon Lake 105L Seasonal (& pumped?) , Page 1 of 2

28 Needs investigation to see if a reservoir could be created, 6 km to Little Salmon Lake, challenging 1 km to highway and 138 kv power could possibly create reservoir, S side of Magundy R, 3 km from site 19 above, 4 km to creek to provide head, 7 km to road and 138 kv beside highway, 4 km to river, 2 km 5 km to highway, river & 138 kv 2.5 km to highway, river & 138 kv line E Previously studied for a 2.5 MW year-round project & rejected due 2 km from road & 138 kv power line, need to create reservoir E Potential for reservoir unclear, 4 km to Faro mine road and 138 kv Potential to create reservoir uncertain, 4 km to Pelly River, 5 km from bridge over Blind Creek from Potential to create reservoir uncertain, 1 km to Pelly River, 8 km from bridge over Blind Creek from Faro E Appendix D YCS hydro site inventory list SORTED.xlsx Potential hydro project sites numbered by 1:50,000 map "slice" west to east, and north to south 6 months = 4,383 hours = 15,778,800 seconds; 6 months at 5 MW = 21.9 GWh; See also separate Rating document 6 months UTM coordinates Nature Basin Lake area Head Annual 6 mo flow Avg power m storage for 6 months of: Comments Rating No. Site description Map sheet(s) m N m E of site km2 km2 ft m m3 m3/sec kw 5 MW 10 MW 13 Small lakes N side Telegraph Mtn. 105L pumped storage?? access D 14 Creeks, north side Little Salmon L 105L-02 pumped storage?? Investigate to see if reservoir could be created, 2-4 km from Highway & 138 kv power line, 1,000 to 3,000 ft head D 15 Small lake E of Little Salmon L 105L pumped storage line, 2km creek to magundy River. D 20 V small lake S of Magundy R 105K pumped storage , power line D 26 East Swim Lake 105K Seasonal , Dam site 7 km from Pelly River, small headpond, potential to regulate outflow at 3 km2 lake outlet, 13 km from Blind Creek road D 2 small lake N of Carmacks 115I-01 6,894, ,000 Pumped storage ,000, to 138 kv line, 15 km to Carmacks E 3 v small lake N of Yukon River 115I-01 6,889, ,500 Pumped storage , , Small lake N of Yukon River 105L-04 6,887, ,000 Pumped storage ,680, line E 7 km to highway, river & 138 kv line E 5 V small lake N of Yukon river 105L-04 6,882, ,400 Pumped storage , , , Drury Lake 105L-07, 08, & 01 Conventional to permafrost issues E 17 Railway Survey Creek 105L Seasonal & pumped , Small lake on Mt. Mye 105K pumped storage power line E 23 V small lake 6 km E of Blind Creek 105K pumped storage , Faro E 24 V small lake 8 km E of Blind Creek 105K pumped storage , Small lake S of Swin lakes 105K pumped storage km from Pelly River at the same location as 26 below. E Page 2 of 2