Boulder City, Nev. - Reclamation’s Lower Colorado Regional Office announced that it has executed an Interagency Agreement with the Department of Energy (DOE) that will provide funding for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to conduct the Phase II Study for future operation of the Navajo Generating Station (NGS). This agreement is part of the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) work with the NGS Joint Federal Agency Working Group (JFAWG) consisting of DOI, DOE, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“This new funding agreement obligates more than $2 million dollars to NREL to implement the DOI’s commitments to identify potential long-term options for transitioning the federal share of energy generated at the NGS to lower-emitting energy options such as wind, solar and natural gas," said Kevin Black, NGS Energy Development Program Manager for Reclamation. “The scope of the agreement also obligates funding for development of a carbon reduction and clean energy development guide and technical assistance to the tribal nations affected by future operational changes at the NGS."
The NREL Phase II study will incorporate NGS emission reduction standards established by the EPA and include information common to and consistent with the ongoing preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the continued operations of the NGS and associated Kayenta Mine.
Based on a timetable developed by the NGS JFAWG, the study is targeted for completion in the first quarter of calendar year 2017.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
