DEMEC Crew Brings Power to the People
July 17, 2025 – NEWARK, DE - The Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation (DEMEC) sent four-line workers (two from the City of Newark and two from the City of Dover) to the Navajo Nation to power homes that have never had electricity. Representatives Mara Gorman and Cyndie Romer presented tributes to the Newark line workers at a recent City Council meeting to recognize the significance of their participation.
“It’s difficult to imagine living in the 21st century without electricity,” shared Representative Mara Gorman. “That is why I am so proud of the DEMEC crew who volunteered to help provide it to those in need. The residents of the 23rd District and beyond are lucky to get our power from such a community-minded utility.”
City of Newark lineworkers, Bobby Johnson, Lineman First Class, and Michael Tyler Uhde, Junior Lineman, joined two lineworkers from the City of Dover this past April, personally helping six (6) Navajo families in Shiprock, NM connect to electricity for the very first time. Of the 55,000 homes located on the 27,000 square mile Navajo Nation (14x larger than Delaware), approximately 10,400 homes do not have electricity.
“I am very grateful to our lineman who traveled to bring power to families for the first time, stated Newark’s Electric Director Bhadresh Patel. “Their dedication and teamwork light up homes and lives in ways that go beyond electricity. We are proud to stand with our partner agencies and remain committed to continuing this crucial work together.”
DEMEC’s crew joined other community-owned electric utilities across the nation in an effort known as “Light Up Navajo.” This mutual-aid-without-the-storm initiative supports electrification efforts by the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA), in partnership with the American Public Power Association.
“We helped pilot the program in 2019, and the same reasons why we supported it then still exist today,” said DEMEC President and CEO Kimberly Schlichting. “It was just that need to help make the essential service of electricity available to all in America. That is the true spirit of public power — helping each other in times of need and powering communities together.”
The cost to connect a single home in the Navajo Nation is approximately $40,000. DEMEC’s crew, and the participation of many other utilities across the country, volunteering their time and labor, augmenting the work of NTUA, reduces costs to roughly $8,000. These homes can now use a refrigerator instead of a cooler to keep food fresh and light bulbs instead of a candle to do homework at night.
“The utilities worked together for a common cause,” said NTUA General Manager Walter W. Haase in a recent news release. “They saw the need and worked hard to build powerlines and connect homes in remote and isolated homesteads. Without these partnerships, it’s very likely that the families would have remained waiting.”
In 2019, 28 utilities from 13 different states supported the Light Up Navajo Pilot Project. This year, Light Up Navajo VI welcomed crews from 46 utilities, connecting 126 homes to the electric grid so far this year. That brings the total number of homes electrified through this project to over 1,000 homes!
The Light Up Navajo mutual aid initiative embodies the true American spirit of people helping people. It’s a collaborative effort like no other – connecting homes of families that have been waiting years, even decades, for electric power. DEMEC and our members are proud to support and partner with NTUA year after year on this critical and historic project.
