New Power Lines to Reach 150 Homes in Five Villages

For years, families in Indian Church and nearby villages lived without reliable electricity, limiting household life, farming, and small business growth. That changed this week with the launch of a rural electrification project in Indian Church Village, Orange Walk District.

The project will connect Indian Church, San Carlos, San Benito Poite, Jalacte, and San Vicente to safe, reliable electricity for the first time. It is a partnership between the European Union, Belize Electricity Limited (BEL), and the Government of Belize, through the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, and Logistics.

At the inauguration ceremony, Public Utilities Minister Michel Chebat said, “This project is a clear demonstration that rural communities matter… no village is left behind.”

What started as a smaller micro-grid plan later shifted after consultations showed that long-term needs would be better met by linking the villages directly to the national grid. As part of the project, BEL funded a ten-mile interconnection to the grid, while additional infrastructure such as poles, transformers, distribution lines, street lights, and home wiring was jointly financed by the EU and BEL.

BEL’s General Manager for Distribution and Energy Solutions, Karique Marin, added, “We are not just turning on power; we are powering progress together. Electricity has the power to transform how families live, how farmers operate, and how young people plan for the future.”

The project began in 2021, and more than 150 homes are now being connected, opening doors for farming, small businesses, and everyday life.