Belize has heard several promises of major investment in its energy sector, but government says one source of funding is no longer just talk. On Friday, Belize will formally launch the Belize Compact, a one hundred and twenty-five-million-dollar grant agreement with the United States Government. More than forty million U.S. dollars will go toward tackling the country’s energy challenges. While proposed investments from the World Bank and Saudi Arabia are still being developed, the Ministry of Public Utilities says the MCC funding is secured and ready for execution. Tonight, we look at how that investment could strengthen Belize’s energy supply.
Leroy Almendarez
Dr. Leroy Almendarez, CEO, Ministry of Public Utilities
“Really, we have been hearing about load shedding, rolling blackouts, the fact that we need to increase domestic generation. We need to look at it wholesomely and how the MCC, the compact fits into that, because the question might be asked, why as submarine cable to San Pedro, how was that determination made and why. Now, there are other projects we have also been looking at before we bring that into play. For example, IFC solar for eighty megawatts. The World Banks’ forty megawatts. The Saudi’s forty megawatts of battery and twenty megawatts, forty solar, twenty megawatts of battery. So those programs are not here, those projects are not here. So when the discussion started about infrastructure, because remember, people talk about, might say the sun shines, but it has to be harnessed, interconnected, and distributed. It is not just a case of yes we have the sun, but how do we do so. In all of this, we have to look at the national grid and how we do so. So, the Compact also looks at the grid codes for example, how do you distribute.”
The hope is that through these investments citizens will also begin to experience lower energy costs.
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