“The future of Navajo and Kayenta remains at risk,” says Peabody

“The future of NGS and Kayenta remains at risk, despite the generating station running at high levels, a consistent call by tribes to preserve 850 needed jobs, third party reports that validate the plant’s competitiveness, and a US government with a significant ownership in the plant and a duty to provide power and protect the tribes,” said Peabody President – Americas Kemal Williamson.

“We urge the US government to help lead efforts to ensure ongoing operation of the plant and mine for the benefit of the tribes and the people of Arizona. Peabody and others continue to aggressively work toward that goal.”

The company noted that the passage of time narrows the path toward ongoing operations. For over a year now, an unprecedented group of stakeholders including the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, union members, state and federal government officials, regulators, business groups and others have come together to keep the Navajo generating station and Kayenta mine open beyond 2019. During that same time, the power plant has run at high capacity utilisation levels, demonstrating the importance of the plant in supplying reliable, low cost baseload power. With the current reluctant lead owner and operator of the plant threatening closure of the plant by the end of 2019, though, the urgency to advance viable alternatives continues to grow. The federal government owns 24% of the plant and oversees the group charged with reliability of water in Arizona.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/power/21092018/the-future-of-navajo-and-kayenta-remains-at-risk-says-peabody/