Belize’s Forty-Megawatt Battery Boost Nears Construction
A misunderstanding over a piece of land in San Pedro reportedly held up a major energy project that could help Belize store cheaper electricity from Mexico. Prime Minister John Briceño says the proposed forty-megawatt battery facility had been languishing despite receiving World Bank funding. But while in Bangkok, Briceño took Belize’s energy concerns directly to bank representatives and says he resolved the confusion surrounding the site. With that hurdle now removed, the prime minister says Belize is moving closer to constructing the large-scale battery bank on the island.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“As you know, we have been working with the World Bank for a loan of over fifty million dollars to set up a battery bank for energy where we hope to have approximately forty megawatts of energy. That project again, was held back, because faceless bureaucrats in Washington heard something about somebody saying that the land we are going to use in San Pedro is an iguana sanctuary. And this person was a squatter. This project has been kept back for about two years. So when I sat down with them and explained what has happened, they were really embarrassed about the whole issue. Then I said, that is why it is so important to come on ground. If we got that project on time, we would not have the crisis we are presently facing. We would be able to buy energy from Mexico, two o’clock, three o’clock in the morning when they have excess energy, load up the battery and be able to supply Belize. So that is another we managed to settle that. But at the same time, trying to find ways to become completely self sustainable with the issue of energy and find renewable sources of energy, sunlight, solar, water, where we can do some expansion. We believe we are on our way there and I know for our citizens, we cant do it fast enough.”
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.