In a remarkable effort to enhance living conditions on the Navajo Nation, nine homes have recently been connected to the electrical grid, marking the sixth phase of the Light Up Navajo initiative.
Light Up Navajo is an ambitious project that brings together 45 electric utilities from 20 states, including the Salt River Project (SRP). Despite facing challenging weather conditions such as snow, heat, dust, and strong winds, the crews successfully completed their work in the Leupp, Dilkon, and Cornfields communities.
“Without the help of SRP and other electric companies from the U.S., bringing power to the Navajo Nation would take decades. We are deeply grateful,” stated Deenise Becenti, the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority’s government and public affairs manager. “Thanks to the expertise, equipment and dedication of SRP employees, extending electricity to this area of the country becomes a more manageable task.”
The SRP line crews dedicated two weeks to working in remote regions of the Navajo Nation. Their efforts involved installing 153 poles, eight transformers, and nearly 85,000 feet of electrical lines to bring power to the nine homes.
According to officials, the Light Up Navajo initiative aims to electrify 200 families by August. Since its inception in 2019, the project has successfully connected over 900 homes to the electrical grid. Despite these efforts, a significant number of homes on the Navajo Nation still lack electricity, with estimates suggesting that 75% of Americans without household power reside on the reservation.
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