LIGHT UP NAVAJO III concludes, extended electricity to 173 Families

 

In 2022, The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) welcomed to the Navajo Nation 14 utility companies and 69 line worker volunteers that signed up for the Light Up Navajo III (LUN III) initiative. The initiative was created through a unique partnership between the American Public Power Association (APPA) and NTUA.

 

Light Up Navajo at its very core is a humanitarian mutual aid project that extends service to Navajo homes without electricity.

 

The LUN III initiative began April 3, 2022, and ended in mid-June. When the project was completed, 137 Navajo homes were connected to electric grid for the first time.

 

The utility companies and organizations represented 10 states, including Arkansas, Arizona, Delaware, California, Connecticut, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and Washington D.C. Each week, the crews worked alongside NTUA electric crews at different locations throughout the Navajo Nation.

 

Since 2019, Light Up Navajo families have been experiencing an improved quality of life, enjoying modern conveniences like refrigerated food, heating, air conditioning, and lights. Life has moved forward without kerosene lamps, candles, flashlights, ice chests, and wood or coal for cooking and heating purposes.

 

The success of the Light Up Navajo is largely due to communities helping the needs of other communities. Light Up Navajo embodies the true American spirit of people helping people. It’s a collaborative effort like no other – connecting homes of families that have been waiting years for electric power. No longer do family members have the burden of facing each new day without electricity, and visiting line workers gain a new level of pride when they energize a home of a grateful family.