SRP line crews spent two weeks working to bring electricity to homes on the Navajo Nation that have remained off the grid for generations as part of the Light Up Navajo initiative (LUN).
Because homes on the Navajo Nation are often spread out, they require several miles of poles and electrical lines to provide electricity to a single house. After navigating through rugged terrain for long days, SRP crews installed 137 poles, 16 transformers and 82,467 ft of electrical line to bring electricity to 17 homes.
“Working on the Navajo Nation poses unique challenges we do not encounter in urban areas. The absence of roads, dust carried by the winds, and the adjustment to high altitude all contribute to the complex conditions,” said Alex Apodaca, lineman at SRP. “However, witnessing families gain access to reliable energy is extremely rewarding and makes it all worth it."
"We are bringing power to people who have never had it.” said Marc Sienicki, Working Foreman at SRP. “I love to see people turning power on for their first time, and not having to start a generator. I hope to continue going there year after year.”
SRP was one of 38 volunteer utilities from 16 states participating in this year’s Light Up Navajo project. To date, SRP crews have brought electricity to 114 homes through the LUN initiative.
"We are grateful to SRP. This humanitarian initiative was created to help ease the daily burdens for families living without electricity,” said NTUA General Manager Walter Haase. “Without electric power the families cannot cook meals, heat up their homes, or power up computers, tablets, and charge their mobile phones.”
This is the fourth year SRP has participated in LUN, donating employee time and the use of line trucks, digging equipment, and mechanic service trucks. NTUA will continue its efforts through the end of July with the goal of bringing power to over 200 families spread across thousands of miles.
About 13,000 homes in the Navajo Nation, representing 75% of all U.S. households, still lack electricity today.
This unique mutual-aid initiative is the result of a partnership between the American Public Power Association and the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, the public power utility serving the Navajo Nation.
For more information, read the article, "Mutual Aid Without a Storm," which was published in T&D World's 2023 Lineworker Supplement. You can also listen to the narrated version of the article on the Line Life Podcast platform, Podbean. You can also listen to another Line Life Podcast episode featuring Light Up Navajo Volunteer Dean Frescholz, section supervisor for SRP, by clicking here.
