Arizona coal-fired power plant to operate through 2019

Navajo Generating Station (NGS) will continue operating for two more years before retiring the coal-fired power plant. The Department of the Interior approved the lease and related agreements, saving the Navajo Nation upwards of $18 million. The extension lease sets guidelines for retirement activities at NGS and provides for long-term monitoring. It also extends the lease to allow ongoing operation of the transmission system on the Navajo Nation. The lease was approved by Navajo Nation Council and signed by the Navajo Nation President and the current utility owners in June. Former NGS owner Los Angeles Department of Water & Power signed the lease earlier this month. The owners made the difficult decision in February to end their participation in NGS when the current lease term ends in 2019 after it became clear that current and forecasted low natural gas prices had made coal generation there uneconomical.