BEL Addresses Customer Concerns Amid Hurricane Beryl

Amid concerns over the impact of Hurricane Beryl, the CEO of Belize Electricity Limited (BEL), John Mencias, reassured customers about the stability of the power supply. CEO Mencias addressed the potential effects of the hurricane on the supply from Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) in Mexico to Belize.

“Based on the latest advisory, Hurricane Beryl remains a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. It is expected to weaken before making landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula north of Belize within the next 12 hours,” Mencias stated. He explained that CFE’s transmission system, to which Belize’s grid is connected, should withstand the strong winds from a Category 3 hurricane. He added that past experiences with CFE have shown that their supply to Belize has remained stable during hurricanes. However, Mencias acknowledged that factors like lightning, flying debris, and mudslides could cause transmission system outages.

Mencias reassured customers that BEL currently has sufficient in-country capacity to meet peak demand if CFE is unable to supply power. He noted, “There is always the chance that things do not work out as planned. For example, excessive rains could affect the output from the bagasse-fueled power plants, BelCogen and Santander. But even if this happens, we should still have just sufficient generation capacity to get by.”

He expressed concern about the potential impacts of lightning and wind on BEL’s transmission and distribution system. Despite extensive preventative measures, including line clearing and securing critical equipment, some parts of the system remain vulnerable to extreme weather. “While we will do our best to maintain a reliable supply of power throughout the passage of the storm, we ask our customers to be patient as we work to keep the lights on during this time,” Mencias said.