UDP Demands Power Rate Rollback; PM Points to Past Neglect
The United Democratic Party (UDP) is demanding an immediate rollback of the latest electricity rate increase approved by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
The UDP claims the higher rates are crippling families who are already seeing basic necessities take up more of their income, stating that “Belizeans simply cannot afford another increase in the cost of electricity.”
The UDP is also calling out the government’s handling of public funds, saying that consumers are paying an extra 1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour despite nearly $400 million being spent on acquiring electricity infrastructure. They are dismissing official claims of progress, asking where the actual benefit to consumers is after such a massive expenditure.
Prime Minister John Briceño rejected claims that Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) is taking advantage of consumers, explaining that the utility has actually been selling power to the public at a loss. He stated that BEL has frequently bought electricity from Mexico during peak hours for up to $1 per kilowatt-hour and sold it to domestic consumers at around $0.42 to $0.44 per kilowatt-hour.
Briceño also placed the responsibility on the previous administration, stating, “The reality is that we are suffering 13 years of UDP neglect. For 13 years, the UDP did nothing to invest in BEL, to invest in infrastructure, invest in its transmission line, to invest in more production of electricity.”
Briceño also pointed to several major energy infrastructure developments currently in progress, including securing a $100 million World Bank loan for 40 megawatts of battery storage, obtaining a loan from Saudi Arabia for a solar power project, and finalising a multi-million dollar submarine cable installation to reduce high-cost diesel generation.