Painted Desert Tribune, Navajo County’s hometown newspaper

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Photo by Talaina Kor Last week crews used a helicopter to add electrical transmission lines to the existing power grid at Cholla Power Plant along I-40 between Joseph City and Holbrook. Solar and wind projects require new transmission infrastructure or upgrades to existing lines so electricity can be delivered to the grid.

Where the 20 wind and solar projects proposed for Navajo County stand

Between 2005 and 2020, Navajo County saw four wind and solar project proposals. Since 2021 it has seen 16, several of them many times the size of anything that came before. The high desert of Navajo County has become some of the region’s most sought-after land for renewable energy development and the 20 projects now claiming a piece of it describe about 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity, more than 11 times what the Cholla Power Plant produced at its peak.

By Shawn White · Oct 20

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  Courts void cancellation of Hopi solar grant, but $25 million remains frozen

  Two federal judges ruled in September that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acted unlawfully when it canceled a $7 billion solar program, including a $25.1 million grant meant to put solar panels and batteries on hundreds…

  By Shawn White
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  Holbrook council approves signage for new Allsup’s travel plaza

  During the Oct. 14 Holbrook City Council meeting and convening as the Board of Adjustment, the council voted without opposition to grant a variance sought by Texas Republic Signs LLC of Houston on behalf of Allsup’s…

  By Shawn White
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  Navajo County continues to discuss renewable development

  During the Navajo County Board of Supervisors regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 13, the board received a follow-up presentation by BluEarth Renewables US regarding its proposed utility-scale wind development project known as Papermill Wind LLC submitted,…

  By Talaina Kor