Melchor wants to buy electricity from Belize

Meanwhile, in related news, residents of Melchor de Mencos, the Guatemalan town just across the border from Benque Viejo, are complaining about their community’s electricity supply–and are looking to Belize to solve their problems. A report in today’s edition of the Guatemalan daily, Prensa Libre, quotes Melchor residents as beginning negotiations with Belizean authorities for the purchase of electricity. According to the residents, Melchor has been experiencing blackouts of up to ten hours per day, a situation that human rights official Sergio Morales called “an abuse of the patience and dignity of the entire population.” The Guatemalans believe that the supply from Belize will be cheaper and more reliable. The high voltage line from Mollejon and Chalillo passes within sight of the Guatemalan border.