Navajo Mine

San Juan County, NM on the Navajo Nation

In 1963, active Navajo Mine operations began. The Navajo Nation acquired the mine, which today provides more than 35 percent of the Navajo Nation's revenue, in 2013. 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 southwestern US.

The Navajo Mine is located on the Navajo Nation, a vast Native American reservation that spans three states and has boundaries that encompass 27,000 square miles of traditional Navajo homelands. The Navajo Mine workforce is 86 percent Native American with the average mine worker earning $153,000 annually. 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.

Navajo Mine Key Facts

Type of Coal: Mine mouth thermal coal, 8950 Btu, for power plant
Type of Mine: Surface
Tonnage: 4.7 million tons annually

NTEC’s Direct Benefits to the Navajo People Annually

$70M in taxes and royalties to the Navajo Nation
35% of the Navajo Nation General Fund
600+ jobs mostly Navajo employees
$91M payroll for mine and power plant
$10M in Navajo vendors and contractors
$4.4M in community contributions annually
For more information on how NTEC supports the Navajo Nation, visit NTEC | Contribution to the Navajo Nation