Belize relies heavily on expensive diesel generation when its regular power supply falls short, but government says it now has a plan to change that. Prime Minister John Briceño says the recently declared energy emergency allows BEL to expand domestic generation and strengthen the country’s energy security. The medium-term strategy includes major investment in solar power, with government aiming to add up to one hundred and twenty megawatts of energy to the national grid.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I am well aware that the issue most prominent in our minds today is energy security. The recent load shedding carried out by BEL, an anachronism of our time. My government is working closely with BEL and their incredible professionals, taking decisive actions to strengthen our energy security. These critical measures will reduce our dependence on expensive fossil fuels and avoid having to purchase electricity form the Mexican market when the CFE prices spike. Most importantly we are preparing our electricity system for the continued growth of our economy. In the immediate term, commissioning is underway for mobile diesel generation that will add twenty megawatts of additional capacity to our system. Last night, CFE gave us zero energy, they cut us off, but yet there were no load shedding, thanks to the visionary work of BEL that ensured we can have power whenever we have shortage from anywhere. This is just a temporary fix, a temporary six months initiative. It is a contract between BEL and power solution MV based in Belgium. The facility will significantly reduce the risk of load shedding, whenever the supply from Mexico is curtailed or unavailable.”
Consumers Feel the Heat from Soaring Light Bills
Consumers are feeling the heat twice, first inside their homes and then when the electricity bill arrives. Prime Minister John Briceño acknowledged complaints about significant increases in power costs, but says the intense heat is partly responsible. He argues that hotter homes require more cooling, leading families to consume more electricity and pay more each month.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“And when you speak to the technical people, people like Ambassador Lynn Young and the people at BEL, they will tell you that if you look at the usage of electricity, during the cool months you use less electricity and when it gets very hot and it has been getting very hot, we have been having a number of heat waves going through Belize, you tend to use more electricity. And I remember speaking to my son Daniel and he was speaking to a friend. He said, my friend is saying she lives alone, she goes to work early in the morning, close up the house, goes to work and when she comes back, she puts on the AC and her bill still goes up. But more importantly, what the technical people explained to us and I know nobody wants to hear this, because your bill still gone up, that the heat in your house is trapped and your re-frigde is working so the fridge has to take this hot air and cool it and it uses more electricity. Your television, while it is off, still has on a light and it has fans that has to be working and electronic gadget you may have, while you are not using it, it has to keep this equipment cool.”
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
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