SRP project looks to light up Navajo Nation

Salt River Project (SRP) is continuing its project to provide electricity to homes on the Navajo Nation.

Two crews went to the Navajo Nation to join line workers from 44 utility companies across 20 states to bring electricity to families through the Light Up Navajo VI project.

Fourteen SRP employees helped connect homes to the grid in remote areas of the Navajo Nation, where 75% of all U.S. households without power are located.

Light Up Navajo has provided electricity to more than 889 homes since the program started in 2019. SRP’s portion of the project concluded on April 20, 2025.

Jesus Rodriguez, Section Supervisor at SRP, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the project.

“We usually have guides from NTUA (Navajo Tribal Utility Authority) that we meet and link up. We link up and get the jobs from them, the material from them. They guide us into the area because the area is vast, wide, open and often times inaccessible unless you know how to get there. So the guys from NTUA help us get there, line up the jobs and much have our crews go throughout and do the work,” said Rodriguez in regards to the process of how the project is run and operated on the ground.

Rodriguez spoke further about the impact of Light Up Navajo VI project as well as the previous projects. He spoke about how the people who’ve benefited from the projects have showed gratitude for the other workers of the project and him.

“They have an appreciation dinner once a week while you’re up there, and often a lot of the customers, the people that we meet, the people we energize go to these dinners and they’re just so thankful. It really hits home. We’re not just doing a job. We’re helping out and you don’t realize how thankful people are to have it,” said Rodriguez.