NTEC History
The story of America’s largest Native American-owned coal producer.
1957
Navajo Mine – Coal Lease Granted
1963
Navajo Mine Begins Operations
Navajo Mine begins large-scale mining operations in 1963 by its original operator, Utah International in areas south of Fruitland, New Mexico on the Navajo Nation. Over the years, it has become one of the largest surface mining operations in the United States. The Navajo Mine is the sole supplier of coal to the adjacent Four Corners Power Plant (FCPP). The electricity generated from the Navajo Mine coal plays a significant role in meeting the energy needs of the rapidly growing Southwest.
1977
General Electric Acquisition
Navajo Mine operator Utah International was acquired by General Electric.
1984
BHP Acquisition
Navajo Mine is acquired by BHP.
2001
BHP & Billiton Merger
BHP and Billiton merge, the mine is then owned by BHP Billiton.
2012
Navajo Mine New Buyer Search
BHP Billiton and the owners of the FCPP are unable to reach agreement on the renewal of the coal supply agreement. BHP Billiton decides to divest its interest in the Navajo Mine and begins to search for a suitable buyer.
2013
Navajo Nation Energy Policy
The Navajo Nation conducts an extensive survey and tribal member comment exercise that results in the issuance of the Navajo Nation’s 2013 Energy Policy. The Navajo Nation re-affirms its inherent sovereign rights to develop its natural resources to promote the economic development of the Nation.
2013
NTEC Creation
The Navajo Nation creates NTEC under Navajo law as an autonomous commercial entity to “promote the development of the Navajo Nation’s resources and new sources of energy, power, transmission and attendant resources to develop the economic, financial, social and cultural well-being of the Navajo People and the Navajo Nation.” NTEC is formed as an LLC with the Navajo Nation as its sole shareholder.
2013
NTEC Acquisition
On December 30, 2013, NTEC purchases the Navajo Mine Coal Company LLC.
2014
Lease Extension
Department of Interior and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement issue a record of decision approving a 25-year site lease extension for Navajo Mine and Four Corners Power Plant.
2016
New Mine Operator
NTEC names North American Coal Corp. as the new Navajo Mine operator. North American Coal forms Bisti Fuels LLC to operate Navajo Mine. Bisti assumes operational control of the mine on January 1, 2016.
2017
First Reclamation Award
NTEC receives the Western Regional Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation award from the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
2018
Four Corners Settlement
NTEC settles contractual dispute with Four Corners Power Plant owners. NTEC received $55 million in the settlement. NTEC used the settlement to pay off the term loan that was used to buy out BHP Billiton’s original loan to purchase Navajo Mine.
2018
Ownership of Four Corners
NTEC finalized the acquisition of seven-percent ownership of Four Corners Power Plant, a 1,550 MW power plant. This makes NTEC the only tribal company in the United States to have partial ownership of a coal-fired power plant.
2018
Shareholder Distribution
NTEC pays first dividend to its shareholder the Navajo Nation.
2019
Free Coal Program Expansion
With the closure of NGS and Kayenta mine, NTEC massively expands its free coal distribution program to provide essential heating coal across the Navajo Nation and to the Hopi communities.
2019
Rare Earth Investment
NTEC acquires interest in Texas Minerals Corp. to invest in rare earth minerals project near El Paso, Texas. Rare earth minerals are needed to build solar panels, wind turbines and for modern electronics.
2019
New Mine Assets
In October 2019, NTEC acquired the assets of Cloud Peak Energy through a bankruptcy auction process. These include three coal mines in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana (Antelope, Cordero Rojo, and Spring Creek). NTEC becomes the third-largest producer of coal in the United States.
2020
Revenue Benefits to the Navajo Nation
Annual taxes and royalties paid by NTEC to the Navajo Nation from the operation of the Navajo Mine now exceed $40M and account for almost a third of Navajo Nations General Fund Revenue.
2020
Additional Economic Benefits from the Navajo Mine
The Navajo Mine is spending approximately $4 million each year with qualified Navajo vendors and businesses.
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