Navajo Nation officials say they’ve made headway in talks with the owners of the Navajo Generating Station to keep it open through 2019.
The tribe wants to secure a new lease for the coal-fired plant that would preserve jobs and tribal revenue. NGS’s owners voted to close the plant earlier this year because of the availability of cheaper energy generated by natural gas. The deal would delay the decommissioning process, and give the tribe time to find a new owner. A new lease would first have to be approved by the Navajo Nation Council and NGS owners. Navajo President Russell Begaye wants to keep the plant open until 2044.
