Light Up Navajo was launched in 2019 through a partnership between the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) and the American Public Power Association (APPA). Modeled after the electric utility mutual aid system used during disaster recovery, the program brings volunteer line workers from utilities across the country to help extend electric service to homes on the Navajo Nation.
The pilot project connected 233 homes in 2019. Since then, the initiative has grown significantly, helping bring electricity to nearly 900 Navajo homes. While tremendous progress has been made, more than 10,000 Navajo families are still estimated to live without reliable electric service, making Light Up Navajo one of the most impactful electrification efforts in the United States.
Not having access to electricity has many repercussions for Navajo families: lack of access to running water, reliable lighting, modern forms of home heating and cooling, and appliances such as refrigerators and microwaves. Families in the Navajo Nation drive 1-1.5 hours once or twice a week to reach watering points where they can fill 250-gallon plastic tanks with water for cooking, cleaning, and drinking. To keep food from perishing, families often have to use portable coolers filled with ice to preserve their food.