WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation has introduced legislation to extend the lease on the coal-fired power plant in northern Arizona so it can operate through 2019.
The Arizona Republic reported Thursday that the lease extension would allow for the Navajo Generating Station to be used through December 2019 and then be torn down. If the tribe does not approve a lease extension by July 1, the plant will have to close at the end of this year to be torn down by 2020.
If the deal is approved, the Navajo Nation will earn $110 million in lease payments throughout the next 35 years. This is because the generating stations owners will be required to monitor the land after the facilities are removed.
The tribe also hopes to keep several pieces of the operation when it closes.