While the project is estimated to generate over $310 million in lease and tax payments, the funds will go to the Navajo Nation Administrative Service Centers rather than local residents.
A conflict is taking place on Navajo Nation about a solar project that developers estimate will generate $310 million in lease and tax payments over 40 years — revenue that will not be directly distributed to the local community. Navajo Power PBC, a Navajo-owned, non-tribal-affiliated organization that works to bring renewable energy to tribal communities, developed the solar project in partnership with Applied Energy Services. The project aims to cover over 4,000 acres of the Coalmine Canyon Chapter of Navajo Nation in solar panels.
Because the Coalmine Canyon Chapter is an uncertified chapter of Navajo Nation, it does not control its finances. Any revenue generated by the project will be routed through the Navajo Nation Administrative Service Centers, meaning it is not guaranteed that local residents will reap the financial benefits of the solar farm. The power the project generates will also flow to an electrical grid rather than to Coalmine Canyon Chapter homes.
The residents of Coalmine Canyon Chapter received information on the project in a 60-slide Powerpoint presentation over a two-day period. Freddie Hatathlie, a lifetime resident of Coalmine Canyon, said the presentations were in English and full of industry terminology that was hard for residents to follow. Hatathlie said he felt that key decisions had already been made by the larger Navajo government, without meaningful local input.
Read the full story: Large solar project on Navajo Nation leaves residents skeptical
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