Crews on the Navajo Nation have connected nine homes to the electrical grid as part of the sixth installment of Light Up Navajo.
The project is a collaboration between 45 electric utilities, including the Salt River Project, from 20 states. The teams worked in heavy snow, heat, dust and winds to complete the job 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," said Deenise Becenti, government and public affairs manager at Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. "Thanks to the expertise, equipment and dedication of SRP employees, extending electricity to this area of the country becomes a more manageable task."
To energize the nine homes, SRP says line crews spent two weeks in remote areas of the Navajo Nation, installing 153 poles, eight transformers and nearly 85,000 feet of electrical line.
By August, officials say Light Up Navajo will have provided electricity to 200 families.
Since 2019 the project has connected more than 900 homes to the grid. Tens of thousands of homes on the Navajo Nation lack electricity. It is estimated that 75% of the Americans without power in their households live on the reservation.