National Grid

Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) informs its Customers and the public that the San Pedro Gas Turbine (San Pedro GT) was successfully commissioned and load tested up to its rated capacity of 21 MW last week Thursday, September 5. However, the San Pedro GT is currently unavailable to supply power into the grid because of the failure (for a second time) of one of the three transformers that is needed to connect it to the grid, which occurred in the early morning of Saturday, September 7.

Despite the reduction in planned power outages by the Belize Electricity Limited (BEL), the power supply remains unstable across the country. The power crisis has impacted San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, and BEL had hoped to install a mobile gas turbine by mid-June to bolster the power supply to the island. However, this plan has encountered setbacks due to the failure of one of the transformers connecting the gas turbine to the national grid. As a result, residents are informed that there will be a delay in getting the gas turbine up and running as the company needs to acquire a replacement transformer for the facility. The new expected timeline for the completion of the gas turbine installation is the end of July.

Over the past weeks, Belize has grappled with planned power outages, a measure Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) is taking to stabilize the national grid and meet power demands. Despite the challenges, BEL is diligently working to minimize power interruptions and enhance its self-sufficiency in electricity generation, especially after its primary provider from Mexico reduced the supply. However, these necessary actions have not been without consequences, with disruptions to daily life and the commercial sector in areas like San Pedro Town and Ambergris Caye.

As Ambergris Caye continues to develop, the demand for resources such as electricity is significantly increasing. On Saturday, March 23rd, Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) stated that the demand for electricity on the island surpassed the rated capacity of the submarine cable (17 Megawatts) that supplies power from the national grid. This forced BEL to shut down service to parts of northern Ambergris Caye to protect the submarine cable and circuit from damage.

Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) is monitoring unprecedented power demand in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye over this weekend and encourages our customers and the public on the island to assist us with implementing energy conservation measures where possible.

Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) informs our customers of an unexpected interruption of power supply which affected most areas of the country, except for the Corozal District at approximately 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 7, 2024. The outage was due to a protective shield wire coming in contact with the transmission line in Orange Walk. The shield wire serves the function of protecting the transmission line from lightning strikes.

To guarantee a robust power service in San Pedro Town, the Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) deployed a large crew to conduct necessary substation maintenance...

On Thursday, March 14th Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) took the Belizean Media Corps on a tour of the submarine cable route that is expected to connect Caye Caulker to the national electricity grid.