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Opinion

A Powerful Project
For the Navajo Nation
It's a power plant that will power both employment and Navajo tax coffers. And it will do so with minimal impact on the environment of northwest New Mexico.
The Navajo Nation has partnered with Houston-based Sithe Global Power to build a 1,500-megawatt coal-fueled power plant southeast of Shiprock. The proposed Desert Rock Power Plant will burn millions of tons of Navajo coal to produce electricity for regional markets.
The project makes logistical sense. Vast supplies of coal are nearby. So are transmission lines needed to access wholesale markets.
The Sithe Global plant would be the cleanest coal-burner fired plant in the country, according to its air quality permit application. The company projects it will emit about 7,000 tons of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. The two older plants in the area emit about 104,000 tons.
Sithe Global executives note that the Desert Rock Power Plant has been designed to comply with air quality rules more stringent than current standards.
Not only is the Navajo Nation an enthusiastic supporter of the project, it actually solicited it. That shouldn't be surprising given the $52 million in annual royalties, taxes and water payments the tribe is set to gain. That alone would boost the Navajo Nation's annual budget by nearly a third. Add 200 permanent high-paying jobs and several hundred more during construction and the benefits of this project come into focus.
Environmental Protection Agency approval is expected later this year, with construction to follow late next year. Once it's up and running, the Desert Rock Power Plant will help the Navajo Nation translate its vast natural resources into tangible benefits for its people.