1 week ago
11
Some parts of Belize experienced power outages yesterday after Belize Electricity Limited, BEL, was forced to implement a load shedding exercise following a warning from Mexico’s Comisión Federal de Electricidad, or CFE, that electricity exports to Belize could be curtailed because of high demand on the Mexican grid. In a customer notice, BEL explained that the controlled outages were necessary to maintain the stability of the national electricity system and prevent a wider collapse of the grid. The company noted that any future load shedding schedule will remain tentative and may change quickly depending on electricity demand and available generation. The development comes as communities in Mexico’s Bacalar municipality continue to grapple with repeated power failures. Earlier yesterday, frustrated residents blocked the main highway in Mexico for nearly five hours in protest, demanding a lasting solution to the outages. Although the road has since been reopened, residents reportedly warned they could stage further demonstrations if the problem persists. While there is no indication that the Bacalar outages directly affected Belize, the situation underscores the country’s continued reliance on imported electricity from CFE. The possibility of power shortages was something BEL had already been preparing for. During an interview with Love News on June 10, Executive Chairman Lynn Young said the utility was taking steps to ensure the country could withstand both potential supply interruptions from Mexico and reduced hydroelectric generation if dry conditions persist.
Lynn Young, Executive Chairman, Belize Electricity Limited: “All indications that it tends to bring drought with it. So how serious it will be, we are not sure but what Hydro Belize and BEL has been working together to try to conserve as much water. So at this point in time, we have the amount of water that we normally need for this point of the year. But if the rains don’t happen the way they normally happen in the latter half of the year, then we could face some issues. We also are concerned about issues from CFE. So what BEL did is we applied to the PUC to put in emergency generation. So as we speak, we’ve already prepared a spot at Westlake, that’s mile eight, and we have 20, it’s 24 megawatts of emergency generation coming in. It’s a mobile unit that will be set up there to cover us in the event that CFE has issues or that if we have a drought so that we avoid having ruling black votes. It’s one of these things in the industry that you think hard about because it’s going to cost us extra money and already we are bleeding right. It’s going to cost us about $4 million a month to have that extra generation in place. But two things, one is that when CFE prices go high we can turn it on and avoid that cost from CFE and B, if CFE says it can’t generate then we don’t have to have blackouts. We have it. So it’s one of those things that you’re paying for. It’s kind of like insurance. You’re paying for it, but you hope you don’t need it. But you realize that there’s a very high chance that you might need it because there’s CFE and there’s drought that could come and there is also climate change where the months are getting hotter and we have these months where people’s bills go through the roof. But you have to supply the power.”
Young explained that BEL has already prepared a site at Westlake, near Mile Eight on the George Price Highway, where a twenty-four-megawatt mobile generation unit will be installed. The backup generation is intended to provide electricity if CFE cannot meet Belize’s import needs or if prolonged dry weather significantly reduces hydroelectric production. While the emergency generation could cost the utility as much as four million dollars per month to operate, Young said the investment is necessary to help avoid widespread blackouts and ensure a reliable electricity supply during periods of heightened risk.
English (US) ·