Illegal Power Lines Pose Growing Safety Risk Across Belize

Every illegal connection comes with a cost, and BEL says paying customers may be helping to carry that burden. Across the country, unauthorized power lines and tampered meters continue to drain electricity from the national grid, creating safety hazards and financial losses for Belize Electricity Limited. In some communities, makeshift wiring is strung through trees or left exposed near flood-prone areas, putting residents at risk of electrocution and fire. With the problem moving from one district to another, BEL says it is becoming harder and more expensive to manage. We asked Executive Chairman Lynn Young how the utility plans to tackle it.

 

Britney Gordon

“Any plans to address the amounts of people that are stealing electricity in Belize. We know that we have all those illegal electricity lines. Is BEL concerned about this and doing anything about it?”

 

Lynn Young, Executive Chairman, Belize Electricity Limited

“Very concerned very concerned, and we will do whatever we can to reduce that challenge, yeah. To deal with that challenge, yeah.”

 

Britney Gordon

“How? It’s one of these things that if I go and explain to the public what we plan to do. It’s a cat and mouse game, right? So if we say where the cat is coming from, the mouse is gonna move, right?”

 

Reporter

“Would you be able to tell us which district this is happening the most? At least that.”

 

Lynn Young

‘All over the country. It changes. Depends on your situation.”

 

Britney Gordon

“It contributes to the fact that BEL is in the red?”

 

Lynn Young

“Yeah whenever you’re making something and you’re not getting paid for everything that you’re selling, it affect us and it affects all of us. Because at the end of the day, to try and keep the lights on, it’s increasing our cost and we have to ask for higher rates, etcetera, so it’s an issue that we have to address. Definitely it’s an important issue.”

 

Back in 2022, Belize Electricity Limited reported losing thousands of dollars each year to illegal connections and said it was ready to regularize households, but noted that inadequate infrastructure in some communities remains the biggest obstacle.

 

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.

 

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