BEL’s Westlake Project Now Supplying 13 Megawatts to National Grid

Belize Electricity Limited says its temporary generation project at Westlake is now supplying thirteen megawatts of electricity to the national grid.  Testing and commissioning of the emergency generation units remain underway, with sixty-five percent of the facility’s planned twenty-megawatt capacity now in service. BEL says the additional local generation has supported the national grid for the past five days, helping the company avoid an average of approximately six hours of potential load shedding each day. On September 12, BEL reported that the generators were operating at approximately forty percent of their planned capacity. At that time, the temporary units helped maintain the electricity system when power from Mexico’s Comisión Federal de Electricidad was unavailable during certain periods.  The increase from forty to sixty-five percent means that an additional five megawatts has since been commissioned.  BEL says work is continuing to test and bring the remaining units online. Once fully commissioned, the Westlake facility will provide twenty megawatts of temporary generation, giving Belize a stronger local electricity reserve during periods of high demand or interruptions in imported power.  Our newsroom is following the progress of the new power generation.