NGC, Contributing to Growth in the Local Economy
Daniel Gutierrez, the spokesperson for the National Gas Company, also gave us an update on how the establishment of N.G.C. has contributed to the economy since it began operations in March 2020. Gutierrez spoke to the emergence of
additional butane retailers owned by Belizean entrepreneurs.
Daniel Gutierrez
Daniel Gutierrez, Spokesperson, National Gas Company of Belize Limited
“The company is set up as a mechanism to bring the transparency and quality assurance that the Belizean people are clamouring for so long. So, let us not look at NGC per say, let us look at the environment that has happened in the industry and a couple of things that are very important to point out. We are seeing many more Belizeans that are now active in the sector; more Belizean entrepreneurs are beginning to get involved in LPG. More Belizean entrepreneurs, these are entrepreneurs that are taking out loans, hiring people, they are setting up new businesses. So, one of the clear benefits is that Belizean are now more active in the sector. So in terms of good news, that is one that I can share. Also, what we have been seeing after COVID and now with the continuation of climate change, we are seeing that the Belize market has been growing steadily. We rebounded faster from COVID than we thought. So, demand has gone up. Belize opted for, we entered this project at the beginning of COVID, so we set up the project for a forty five day buffer to ensure Belizeans never run out of LPG and that has always held steady. We have never run out of LPG. But, the Belizean market keeps growing. Most countries use a ninety day buffer for LPG storage, so I think it is important, and I make this call out to other members of the private sector, it is important to see that with the investment that I have mentioned where more Belizeans are coming and buying equipment, all this additional storage in country is important because it gets us to that ninety days that this country would be wiser and as the economy grows.”
