Apache County Crane Certification for Power, Tribal and Highway Work

Two power plants heading for conversion

The Springerville Generating Station has four units: Tucson Electric Power operates the plant and owns Units 1 and 2, Tri-State owns Unit 3, and Salt River Project owns Unit 4. About 30 miles north, SRP owns and operates the Coronado Generating Station near St. Johns. The Arizona Corporation Commission has approved converting coal units at both stations to natural gas, with Coronado's conversion targeted for 2029 and Springerville expected to burn gas around 2030 once a supply pipeline is built.

Conversion projects mean years of heavy work: burner and boiler modifications, new equipment set into existing structures, and removal of coal-handling systems. Routine outages at both plants already bring in contractor cranes, so certified operators and riggers in southern Apache County have a steady source of work.

Building on the Navajo Nation

Navajo and Fort Apache reservation land covers roughly 66 percent of the county, and the state's commerce profile notes that hospitals are the largest employment category, including the Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility. Health care, school, housing and water infrastructure projects on the Navajo Nation need cranes for steel, precast, tanks and mechanical equipment, often far from the nearest crane rental yard.

Long mobilizations mean contractors value crews who can work independently. An operator who also holds rigging and signal person credentials can cover more roles on a small remote crew.

Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation, along with Ganado, Chinle and the communities near Canyon de Chelly, sees government, health and school construction on a regular basis. Farther south, Springerville and Eagar serve as the commercial center for the power stations and for ranching in the Round Valley, and their own housing and commercial building keeps local truck cranes moving between plant outages.

Where to start

• Mobile crane operator for plant outages and community construction
• Rigger Level 2 for complex lifts during power plant conversions
• Signal person to round out a small-crew skill set
• Digger derrick operator for utility line crews serving scattered communities

High desert weather and getting to an exam

Most of the county sits between roughly 5,000 and 7,000 feet. Winters are cold with periodic snow, spring winds are strong across the open grassland around St. Johns, and summer monsoon storms bring lightning. Plan for frozen ground, cold-start hydraulic checks and wind holds when scheduling lifts.

St. Johns is roughly 220 miles from Phoenix, so most candidates plan an overnight trip to the Phoenix metro for practical exams and look for the nearest computer-based center for the written portion. Our Arizona requirements guide explains how federal rules apply across the state and on tribal projects.