NTUCB Urges PUC to Reject BEL’s Proposed Increase to Cost of Power Adjustment Cap

The National Trade Union Congress of Belize is urging the Public Utilities Commission to reject Belize Electricity Limited’s request to increase the cap on its Cost of Power Adjustment from five to ten percent. The union congress says the proposal could expose working families to higher electricity bills at a time when they are already struggling to cover basic expenses.  In a submission dated November 3, signed by General Secretary Timothy Dami, the NTUCB argues that wages have not kept pace with the cost of living. It warns that additional electricity costs would put greater pressure on households and could lead businesses to raise prices, adding to the burden consumers already face from fuel and transportation costs.  The request concerns the limit on adjustments under the COPA mechanism. Increasing that cap would allow a larger adjustment; it does not, by itself, mean electricity bills would automatically rise by ten percent.  According to the submission, BEL’s request is linked partly to continued reliance on temporary local generation to reduce the risk of load shedding associated with electricity supplies from Mexico. The NTUCB also points to high Mexican electricity prices and lower-than-expected hydroelectric generation among the issues surrounding the application.  The congress argues that consumers who have already experienced power interruptions should not be required to shoulder more of the costs arising from generation and procurement challenges. It says those risks should be addressed through planning and managed within the existing cap.  The NTUCB is also questioning whether doubling the cap would undermine the consumer safeguards built into the PUC’s regulatory sandbox. It maintains that BEL has not demonstrated sufficient justification for the change and is asking the commission to give substantial weight to the financial pressures facing workers when making its decision.