P.M. awaiting consent from CFE officials for better deal on electricity provided to B.E.L.
Dean Barrow
Turning to electricity, a delegation of officials from the recent government-acquired Belize Electricity Limited met with senior executives of Comision Federal de Electricidad of Mexico to negotiate new terms of a new agreement for the purchase of energy from the state-owned company. Led by former Prime Minister turned government advisor Manuel Esquivel and B.E.L.’s C.E.O., Jeffrey Locke, the team submitted a formal draft contract which is to be reviewed before approval by the entire board of CFE. Government wants either to get reduced rates for B.E.L. or to push up a ten million credit line with CFE. The prime minister broached the proposal with the Mexican President, while in Guatemala last month, but the details are still not finalized. According to P.M. Barrow, they are still awaiting the consent of CFE officials.
Dean Barrow
“There was an agreement in principle reached on various issues having to do with the terms and conditions under which the electricity is sold to us by CFE. There was to have been a formal draft contract that our side was to have submitted. I believe that’s already been dispatched to CFE. I don’t know that it’s yet been signed because the CFE’s board of directors would have had to meet and actually approve the contract. The negotiations took place at the level of the sort of general manager, I believe, of CFE. The agreement in principle being reduced now to writing in the form of a draft contract must actually be approved by the full board of CFE and I don’t think that has taken place yet.”
Isani Cayetano
“Is it a negotiation per se to see if we can get a better price on the cost of energy we’re purchasing from them?”
Dean Barrow
“That is precisely what it is and in principle it has been in fact agreed at the level of discussions, at the level at which CFE was represented in the negotiations with the B.E.L. C.E.O. and Sir Manuel [Esquivel] and Mr. John Mencias who also was part of the team and one other official from B.E.L. But as I said, that now has to be ratified by the CFE board. Without a doubt though that ratification will then see a reduction in the price to Belize at which CFE sells the electricity.”
Belize Electricity Limited currently purchases seventy percent of its supply from CFE.
Guys Mexico or more diretcly CFE has an obligation to its customers (the Mexican Public) to earn the msot it can for electricity sold south to Belize and parts of Chiapas and north to the US at el Paso and Tijuana. CFE cannot be expected to give its power away. Mexico offered BEL a power purchase contract years ago because it had excess power to sell from a new natural gas fired plant built in Merida at the time. CFE sold the excess power to BEL and made money from running its plant at higher loads. The power from this plant is no longer available as internal load demand grew and hence the purchase agreement with BEL was cancelled. Gentlemen, their is no free lunch and no magic wand in the business of electricity. Mexico will not suddenly reduce its electricity sale price to Belize based on a request from our Government. As a country and as a people we have to learn, like countries everywhere, to pay our way and to paddle our own canoe. We cannot depend on charity for prosperity. Sorry but that is not how it works.
Now that BEL has been renationalized, there is no need for a PUC. It should be immediately disbanded and staff sent home. The PUC operating cost was being paid by the privately owned utility companies it regulated. Should have been a symbiotic relationship but PUC drove BEL and itself to an early grave. PUC no longer has any utility company to regulate or reasong for its existence as Gov’t does not need another Govt agency to oversee itself. Seem the last laugh is on the PUC. They should be proud and laughing all the way home.
This man the lie again even though this man said not too long ago that my name is Oliver barrow not Oliver twist and I beg no one for nothing well he was in Guatemala on his knees in front of Calderon. Begging him for cheaper rates well this will show how smart the mexicans are if they allow this to happen Revolution is in the air and your time is at hand barrow.
PM is looking to Mexico to bail out BEL and Honduras to bail out BSI, we use Guatemala and Honduras to play our HOME football matches, let us start teaching our children spanish from infant one, we will be able to negotiate better deals. how can you negotiate in a language you are not fluent in. lawyers know fully well that the meaning of one word in a contract can change the worth big time.
mexicanos, al grito de guerra
el acero aprestad y el bridón,
y retiemble en sus centros la tierra
al sonoro rugir del cañón,
y retiemble en sus centros la tierra
al sonoro rugir del cañón.