More than 300 Navajo Generating Station employees, relatives and union and tribal leaders rallied in Phoenix on Wednesday to request a 90-day pause in steps to close the plant by the end of 2019 as scheduled.
The group asked for time to allow a potential buyer of the coal-fueled plant near Page in northern Arizona to work out the details of a purchase.
"Just 90 days! Just 90 days!" The group chanted during the gathering. Some in the crowd carried signs that read, "We're Worth 90 Days."
The board of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District is scheduled to consider alternative power sources to the generating station during a Thursday meeting. The district uses power from the plant to operate an aqueduct system.
Utility operators say power from the coal-fired plant is more expensive than power from gas-burning plants.
