Tribe begins negotiations with possible new coal plant owner
(Ross D. Franklin | The Associated Press) In this Sept. 4, 2011, file photo, smoke rises from the stacks of the main plant facility at the Navajo Generating Station, as seen from Lake Powell in Page, Ariz. The investment firm tasked with finding a new owner for the Arizona coal plant says it's focused on one potential investor while a handful of others are on the sideline.
Window Rock, Ariz. • Leaders from the Navajo Nation say they’ve begun negotiations with a potential new owner of a coal-fired power plant on their land.
The Navajo Generating Station near Page is scheduled to shut down in December 2019.
The plant's coal supplier has been leading an effort to find a new owner.
Navajo President Russell Begaye says the tribe is negotiating with New York-based Avenue Capital for ownership and one of its subsidiaries, Middle River Power, as an operator.
Begaye told lawmakers Monday that an agreement could be ready for them to consider by October. He acknowledged it's an ambitious timeframe for a process that generally takes years.
Environmental groups have said the coal plant is not worth saving and have urged tribal officials to focus on renewable energy projects.
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