SRP Crews Bring Reliable Power to 13 Remote Homes in the Navajo Nation

Salt River Project (SRP) crews connected 13 families to electricity in the western Navajo Nation this spring through the Light Up Navajo VII initiative.

To electrify the 13 homes, SRP crews worked a combined 3,753 hours over two weeks, installing 108 primary poles, 25 secondary poles and 10 transformers, and stringing 91,866 feet of wire.

This year, Light Up Navajo VII brought together 53 utility companies from 24 states. SRP contributed a team of 19 employees to support the effort. With support from participating utilities, the goal is to extend electricity to at least 300 homes by the end of August.

“This year, we worked in very different terrain with sand almost everywhere,” said Thomas Gerbig, SRP Lineman. “Even with four‑wheel‑drive vehicles, we often got stuck so we relied on an NTUA tractor with tracks for part of our work. Digging a single pole hole could take nearly an hour, compared to about 15 minutes in the city. I would come back every year to work on this project. The physical and weather challenges we face don’t compare to seeing the smile of someone turning on a light in their home for the first time.”

Light Up Navajo is a humanitarian initiative launched in 2019 to bring electricity to homes across the Navajo Nation that still lack access to power. The program stems from a partnership created by the American Public Power Association (APPA) and the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA).

“Ten years ago, I had a dream of moving back to the reservation and building a place for my kids in the place where I grew up and the hills I played on,” said Elysia Yazzie, NTUA customer. “Electricity will make our lives easier, and our dreams come true.”

According to APPA, there are 400,000 Navajo citizens and approximately 185,000 live across the 27,000‑square‑mile Navajo Nation, which spans across northern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah. Of the roughly 55,000 homes in the region, an estimated 9,377 still do not have electricity — representing nearly 70% of U.S. households without power. 

“We are incredibly grateful to SRP crews for their dedication and hard work,” said Deenise Becenti, Government and Public Affairs Manager at NTUA. “We know that bringing power to this area can be extremely challenging due to long distances between homes, rugged terrain and changing weather conditions.”

To date, SRP has installed 1,095 wood poles, strung 603,227 feet of wire, set 118 transformers, and provided reliable power to 159 families for the first time.

SRP crews are scheduled to return to the Navajo Nation in the fall to continue connecting more homes to the electric grid.