B.E.L. chairman says Chalillo will benefit Belize
As chairman of Belize Electricity Limited and C.E.O. of its parent company, Fortis of Canada, Stan Marshall is the man who opponents of the Chalillo dam love to hate. Over the weekend News 5’s Stewart Krohn sat down with Marshall as he and his board prepared to inspect hurricane devastated areas recently resupplied with electricity. With the Chalillo project now approved by local regulators, we asked the Canadian how he felt about protesters’ plans to carry the fight to his home turf.
Stan Marshall, Chairman, B.E.L.
“The go ahead on Chalillo is really a matter for the people and Government of Belize. They are the people who have to make the decision ultimately. You have been good stewards of their environment, so we have a great track record, so I think you can be proud of what you’ve achieved, and the rest of the world cannot challenge that I don’t believe. So in my perspective, is up to the people and Government of Belize.”
Stewart Krohn
“At times during the campaign against Chalillo, it became highly personal, your picture was in a lot of newspapers both here and in Canada. For a fellow who’s not really used to being in the limelight, how did that make you feel?”
Stan Marshall
“It’s the first time I’ve come under such personal attacks and it’s something new for me. I’ve tried to avoid making personal allegations, although when people make allegations against you, say that you’re destroying the environment, you’re lying, that’s hurtful, and it’s hard to avoid taking it personal. But from my perspective, I’ve tried to keep to the issues, but at times I felt it would be difficult when I see pictures of myself in the paper, in Canada full-page ads and I’ve seen TV commercials broadcast nationally. So there’s no question these people have launched a major attack on me personally, on Fortis, and I would say on Belize, because a lot of the allegations they are making are not very kind to this country.”
Stewart Krohn
“There are three major utilities in Belize, all of them currently monopoly. You’ve got the Belize Water Services, they are currently fighting with the Government. You’ve got the Belize Telecommunications Limited, they’re locked in a battle with Government, and you’ve got Belize Electricity Limited, your company. Can you envision the day when you might be fighting with the government was well?”
Stan Marshall
“Our experience, we’ve got six utilities in different jurisdictions in four countries now, three provinces in Canada. We find most of the time that relations are very, very good. At times they can be difficult, but we’ve always been able to work with government to the benefit of our customers and to the benefit of the jurisdiction concerned. So, there has been difficult times, but we’ve got a great track record dealing with people and dealing with government’s and I have no doubt that over the long period of time we’ll have a very good relationship with the people and Government of Belize.”
Stewart Krohn
“Is the present regulatory regime that’s now in place in Belize, satisfactory for Belize Electricity Limited?”
Stan Marshall
“Yes, I think so, but like all things, nothing’s forever, and our experience in different jurisdictions which we operate, suggest that from time to time regulation will have to be altered. And we’ve got jurisdictions where we have various types of regulations, and we find we can work with any one of them as long as we know the rules. And recognising that circumstances can be different at different points in time, different jurisdictions, so things will have evolve over time, and as long as there is openness to do that, we can work with almost any type of regulation.”
Stewart Krohn
“Mr. Marshall, is there a natural conflict between a company’s desire to make a profit and the consumer’s desire to have lower electricity rates?”
Stan Marshall
“Not if you take a long term view. If you took a short-term view, I think you would be in a conflict situation. But the way we look at it, we’ve been in this business for over a hundred and ten years. When we came to Belize, we planned to be here a long time. To do that, you’ve got to provide very good service to your customers. Good in terms of quality, good in terms of price, and we strive to do that. And as all things, there are difficult periods, but if you took a long-term view as we do, our interests are synonymous.
When I look at our system today, Chalillo will be the cheapest source of energy we will have. Of all the power providers…overall the cheapest will be Chalillo. Prices will depend on a lot factors, but half the cost of your electricity, does not depend on the energy, but building the poles on your street, putting you meter in, those sort of things. So prices depend on a lot of things, besides just the energy component. But building hydro will be the single most important factor in stabilising your electricity prices over time, and building it reliably and making this country more self-sufficient in energy.”
Stewart Krohn
“Mr. Marshall, you are someone who is not really well-known as a person to the people of Belize. They know about you, they hear you name, but I don’t think people in Belize really know Stan Marshall the person. Is there any personal message that you would like to give to our viewers and the people of Belize?”
Stan Marshall
“When I look at Belize, it’s very similar to the jurisdiction that I come from, Newfoundland, I’m from a little fishing town of two hundred people. And over my fifty years, my memory goes back forty-five years, I saw a lot of progress in our home province; building of schools, building roads, putting up electricity for the first time. And when I look at the impact bringing electricity had to our society, I think that it’s the single most important thing we do in many ways. And I’m very proud of being in the business I’m in, providing electricity. I’m very proud that we’re here in Belize helping the people of Belize expand their system, to improve their system, improve its reliability, to stabilise it’s prices. I’m fundamentally a very simple person, I’m not a vicious person, but I think I’m a spiritual person, and I think that all of us strive to do something good in life. And I think that what we’re here in Belize, I could be proud of, I think all of us at Fortis and B.E.L. can be proud of.”
Marshall declined to make specific predictions on the future of electricity rates in Belize
