Arizona utility, Navajo partner on another solar plant

CAMERON, Ariz. (AP) — An Arizona utility and the Navajo Nation are partnering on a new solar plant to be built on the reservation. The tribe had approved the lease for the Salt River Project last year. The utility and the tribe signed a power purchase agreement Thursday for the 200-megawatt plant in Cameron. About 400 people will be employed during construction, with a hiring preference for Navajos. The tribe has a handful of utility-scale solar plants on the reservation, including one in the works near Red Mesa. Two others in Kayenta produced a total of 55 megawatts, with the power going to Navajo homes and businesses.