PUC to Declare “Emergency Situation”

Cabinet has granted approval to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) permission to declare an energy emergency. According to the official Cabinet Brief issued today, “Approval was granted by Cabinet for the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to declare that an emergency situation has arisen beyond the reasonable control of Belize in relation to generation services.”

In response to the crisis, Cabinet “approved the procurement of 80 megawatts of solar generation as well as the project proposed by Energy Transfer for the approximate generation of 50 megawatts of power using natural gas Ethane.” The move is intended to stabilise Belize’s power supply and strengthen energy resilience amid growing concerns over reliability and cost.

Cabinet also “gave its support for the Government of Belize and Fortis Inc. of Canada having reached an agreement for the purchase of Fortis Inc.’s electricity sector assets in Belize.” With Cabinet’s approval, Prime Minister John Briceño tabled a Bill in Parliament “that seeks parliamentary authorisation for the acquisition of the three hydropower plants owned and operated by Fortis Belize.” The legislation will also “authorise the acquisition of Fortis’s 33.3% shareholding in the Belize Electricity Limited (BEL).”

In other decisions, Cabinet:

• Approved the extension of tax exemptions granted to Belize Sugar Industries Limited (BSI) and Belize Cogeneration Energy Limited (BELCOGEN) under the Sugar Industry and Cogeneration Project Act of 2012.
• Authorised the Minister of Foreign Affairs, with support from the Attorney General’s Ministry, to finalise negotiations on a Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States, which will be sent to the Senate for ratification once executed.
• Approved funding to electrify primary schools in the villages of San Carlos and Indian Church in the Orange Walk District.
• Granted approval for Belize to host a Regional Intellectual Property Workshop in March 2026.
• Directed that domestic copyright laws be revised after Belize’s accession to five copyright-related treaties under the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
• Approved amendments to the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act to modernise the licensing framework for motorcycle dealers and harmonise penalties.
• Allocated $2 million for rehabilitation works at the Belize City and Belmopan bus terminals.
• Reduced import duties on electric and hybrid electric vehicles (EVs and HEVs) to 10 percent to encourage a transition to cleaner transport.