1 month ago
25
Earlier this week, BEL announced that, effective immediately, the cost of electricity would increase by 1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour for Belizean consumers. In its release, BEL said the adjustment is needed to help the company meet the cost of purchasing electricity, while maintaining the financial stability needed to support Belize’s energy security. But consumers have been vocal on social media, expressing frustration over the rising cost of electricity. Today, the Prime Minister weighed in on the issue, describing the situation as a crisis that Government is now looking into.
John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “They have a shortage of energy during the prime time, the prime hours. And so BEL has been buying sometimes as much as $1.00 US a kilowatt and we’re only selling it for 42 cents, for the 44 cents Belize. BEL has been selling energy to the public at a loss, for less than what they’re buying at. We’re not even talking about the transmission and the operations and all of that, it is a crisis and we as a government were holding back BEL from raising these prices, but then it comes to the time when it has to happen, and it happened unfortunately. But the good news is, the good news is now that we met with Ambassador Young, along with two of his young engineers. We met with the Ministry of Energy and myself on Tuesday and he said they are the point now of being able, under the emergency declaration that we did several months ago, that they believe that they could get companies to be able to come online with energy, with electricity. And we we’re hoping that one we could probably get it within six months and hopefully within one year we’ll be able to get about four or five companies that are already here to be able to start to produce more energy. And they believe that they could be able to do that at the savings of over $28 million in the first year for BEL. So we have been working on it. We’ve been adjusting, but it’s not like you’re running a water line in a house from one room to the next. It takes time. We have been making lots of investments. We have been working very hard to ensure that we can not only reduce the cost of energy, which we hope that by 2028/ 2029 the prices will start to go down because all of this other engird will be coming online and at the same time to be able to put BEL on a sound financial footing.”
The Prime Minister also addressed concerns from consumers who say their electricity bills have doubled, and in some cases, even tripled. The PM says Government is looking into those reports, but he also pointed to what he described as neglect of BEL under the previous UDP administration.
John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “Well certainly something that, myself as a citizen and more importantly as the Prime Minister, I’m very concerned. I’ve already spoken to Minister Chebat. I’ve asked him to meet with the executive chairman Ambassador Young and the people from BEL and PUC and to be able to meet with the media hopefully early next week by Monday/Tuesday to discuss that and so it is something that we’re taking a look at right now.”
Reporter: Some people believe that BEL is taking advantage of consumers. Is this something you believe is true ?
John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “No it is not so and the reality is that we are suffering thirteen years of UDP neglect. For thirteen years the UDP did nothing to invest in BEL, to invest in infrastructure, to invest in the transmission line, to invest in more production of electricity. And now some will say well it’s not government but government was interfering and did not allow the process. Did you know that to this day the son of the former Prime Minister is still advertising he has a license to be able to produce electricity ? And there are many instances where these things were approved to just people that were close to the government at the time and not producing. Since we got in that’s what we’ve been working every single day day.”
Government is now expected to review the situation as concerns continue over the rising cost of electricity.
English (US) ·