Power Outage Affects Court Proceedings 

According to Belize Electricity Limited, a “burnt crossarm on a transmission structure in a remote area of the Corozal District” was identified as the fault that led to an unplanned power outage that affected certain parts of the country.  B.E.L. teams conducted temporary repairs to restore power supply.  The company said that “an emergency outage will be required after 4:00pm today to complete repairs.” 

On Monday night, B.E.L. issued a press release apologizing to customers. 

It said, “We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the extended load shedding, which we were forced to carry out due to a shortage of in-country generation capacity after supply from CFE (Mexico) was abruptly curtailed. As we had earlier informed customers, our gas turbine at Westlake on the George Price Highway, which is one of our major backup power sources, is being upgraded and is currently out of service. This generating unit is scheduled to be brought back online early next week. We are also installing a gas turbine in San Pedro, and this should be completed before the end of May. Together, these additional generation sources will put us in a much better position to meet demand if supply from CFE is curtailed, especially during the high demand months of May through July.” 

This morning, attorney Arthur Saldivar was asked about the release. He said it should be a matter of great concern to all Belizeans. “During the day here at court, we are seeing where it is inconveniencing the judiciary and the administration of justice.” 

Saldivar went on to say, “Sad to say, but we no longer live in a peaceful country as we once did. It is a very violent place, and the blackout at night is very concerning, especially in the city.” 

B.E.L. assures customers that it is making “every effort to maintain safe, reliable, and sustainable energy supply to all service areas countrywide.”