80 More Megawatts of Energy Coming to Belize?

A major step toward energy independence was taken today as Belize Electricity Limited and Blair Athol Power Company signed a historic solar power agreement. The deal will bring an additional fifteen megawatts of locally sourced solar energy into the national grid, a first of its kind at this scale for Belize. But that’s just the beginning. Prime Minister John Briceño says the government is already looking ahead, with plans to secure 80 more megawatts of energy. It’s all part of a bigger push to reduce Belize’s reliance on imported electricity from Mexico.

 

Prime Minister Jonh Briceño

“I think maybe  a month or two the PUC put out asking for proposals and a number of companies applied. I don’t know who are there, but I know a number of them. They’re being reviewed. And then after that, they’re going to compile it to the smaller group because we want to make sure that these companies would be able to, the plan is that once we sign the contract, that they will be able to deliver within one year of energy problem, another eighty megawatts into the grid. As I mentioned earlier it’s. What has happened to us last year is sure how vulnerable we are to another country, to Mexico. Mexico are good neighbors, they’re our brothers, and they’ve done very well for us, but our growth we have to depend on our own future, and that is where we are seeing how we can start to ease up on that dependency, but still have access to their energy.”