Navajo Generating Station
The Navajo Generating Station’s smokestacks towered 775 feet (236 meters) above the surrounding Navajo Nation desert. The plant was shuttered in 2019 and imploded in 2020 after a nearly 50-year run powering the West. Watching the towering smokestacks keel over one by one by one as dust spreads against the desolate backdrop is both striking and haunting. This video would be much better without the backing track, which disrupts the vibe, though the spectator reactions in some of the clips almost make up for it.
We’ve covered the Navajo Generating Station quite a bit here. On the one hand, it was the largest polluter in the Southwest. On the other, it was a major source of revenue for the Navajo Nation. Like the Monticello Power Plant, it points to the fact that there need to be plans in place to support those whose livelihoods are being wiped away, too.
