B.E.L.: electric rates among lowest in Caribbean

In related news, Belize Electricity Limited today release figures showing that out of twenty Caribbean countries, Belize’s electricity rates are among the lowest, with only Trinidad and Jamaica charging consumers less. The release was meant to counter advertising put out by opponents of the Chalillo project that showed Belize having the highest rates in comparison to selected countries on the American mainland. While both surveys are in their own way accurate, what the anti-Chalillo lobbyists fail to mention is that the mainland rates are lower because they rely heavily on cheap hydropower–precisely why B.E.L. is building Chalillo. What B.E.L. misstates is that the key factor in Belize’s rates remaining stable over the last decade is not the Mollejon hydro plant, but advantageous pricing arrangements under which Belize buys electricity from Mexico.