The 2,400-MW Navajo Generating Station (NGS) in northeastern Arizona —
the largest coal plant west of the Mississippi River — is shutting down
this week.
The affiliated Kayenta coal mine will also shut down.
Salt River Project (SRP), NGS’s Tempe-headquartered operator, says
the coal plant’s shutdown date will be determined by the remaining coal
supply. According to
Cronkite News:
Of the 433 workers who were at the plant before the
closure was announced, SRP said about 280 accepted offers to relocate to
jobs in different facilities, while others either refused or opted to
retire.
There will be 50 employees left, most of whom are working on
contract. The Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe are mainly affected by the
closure. Navajo community groups have called for a transition to green
energy and more stringent water protections.
Democratic Representative Tom O’Halleran of Sedona, whose district
includes the Navajo Generating Station and the mine, introduced a bill
in September to provide economic development and job training to people
who lost their jobs as a result of the closures.
Carol Davis, a director with Navajo environmental group
Diné C.A.R.E., said:
The closing of NGS represents an opportunity to right the
longstanding wrongs on water that our people have suffered as a result
of coal operations.
And Nicole Horseherder of the group
Tó Nizhóní Ání, said:
As coal markets end and local power plants and mines close,
we stand to benefit from the development of clean-energy projects and
from an economic transition that prioritizes local community voices.
The Navajo Nation brought the second phase of the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority’s Kayenta Solar facility online in September,
reported Tucson.com. It connected 233 homes in the spring, and a second phase is planned for 2020...
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