Prime Minister Briceño, IDB Discuss Energy Costs and Sargassum Solutions

Prime Minister John Briceño is in Bangkok, Thailand on the people’s business.  The PM has held discussions with Inter-American Development Bank President Ilan Goldfajn on Belize’s electricity costs, energy security and the growing impact of sargassum. According to the Belize Press Office, the meeting took place on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings in Bangkok, Thailand.  The talks focused on expanding renewable energy, improving electricity transmission infrastructure and advancing regional energy cooperation through SIEPAC. Support for Belize Electricity Limited and the submarine cable upgrade to San Pedro were also discussed, along with opportunities for further technical and financial assistance from the IDB.  Briceño told Goldfajn that the Government is consulting with the private sector on using sargassum by-products to generate electricity as part of broader waste-to-energy efforts.  The Prime Minister also highlighted the damage sargassum is causing in tourism communities, including San Pedro and Hopkins. He pointed to the health, environmental and economic consequences and called for greater international recognition of sargassum as a disaster risk. Belize outlined ongoing and planned investments in offshore collection, renewable energy solutions, carbon-credit opportunities and the development of useful by-products.  Goldfajn acknowledged that the problem extends across the region and expressed the IDB’s willingness to have its technical teams explore possible support. Those efforts would look at ways to turn sargassum into an economic opportunity for Belize and the wider Caribbean.