In 1963, active Navajo Mine operations began. As the sole supplier of fuel to the Four Corners Power Plant, the power generated plays a significant role in meeting the energy needs of the Southwest. The Navajo Mine is located on the Navajo Nation, a vast Indian reservation that spans three states and has boundaries that encompass 27,000 square miles of traditional Navajo homelands. The Navajo Mine workforce is 85 percent Native American with the average mine worker earning $153,000 annually. Many workers live in the local area, but others commute as long as two hours each way to be a part of Navajo Mine’s workforce.
Since acquiring the mine in 2013, NTEC has significantly increased the scope and pace of reclamation to eliminate a backlog from prior operations. NTEC has also implemented new surface mining techniques.