Oklahoma Utility Company Helps Bring Electricity To Navajo Nation In Arizona

Line workers from Oklahoma are helping "Light Up" the Navajo Nation by bringing electricity to hundreds of homes for the first time.

Ten Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) crew members volunteered to spend more than a week on the Navajo Reservation in Monument Valley, Arizona, to extend electricity to families who have been waiting for years.

"When our guys come back, it is a pretty emotional moment for our crews, when those guys talk about the lights coming on and suddenly this whole new world for these people," said GRDA corporate spokesperson Justin Alberty. "It is going to make a lasting impact on them."

The Oklahoma utility company crew left on March 31st and is one of three out-of-state groups that made the journey as part of the "Light Up Navajo" initiative. GRDA was also part of the pilot effort in 2019 and describes it as "mutual aid without the storm."

The line workers put in long hours setting up distribution poles, running lines, and hooking electricity up to homes on the Navajo reservation that have never had any. The American Public Power Association, which GRDA is a member of, said families in the Navajo Nation have had to drive an hour about twice a week to fill 250-gallon plastic tanks just to have water for cooking, cleaning, and drinking.

"Electricity, a lot of us around here take it for granted," said Alberty. "These are homes that have never had it. So, you think about electricity for pumping water, for heating and cooling, lighting, cooking your meals, all of these things. For a lot of people, this is going to be a brand-new world for them, and we are just very pleased that we can be a part of this effort."

The crew returned to Oklahoma on Sunday, April 9th.

"Light Up Navajo" is estimated to cost $1.8 million. To learn more about the program Click Here.