Minister Chebat Responds to B.C.C.I.

Earlier this week, we told you about the letter that the Belize Chamber and Industry wrote to the Minister of Energy, Michel Chebat, requesting the government’s plan to find alternative sources of energy in Belize, and pointing to a need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and energy provider, C.F.E. in Mexico. Well, while Chebat shared some of that plan on the media the same day, he has also responded to the Chamber’s letter. In the letter, Chebat explained that under PlanBelize, the government has committed to producing seventy percent of Belize’s electricity demand from renewable resources by 2030, and that they are well on that path. It went on to state that last year, of all the energy that the country consumed, fifty-three percent came from in-country generation through renewable resources like hydro, biomass and solar. By 2025, Chebat continued, a fifteen megawatt solar plant will be constructed and commissioned to complement the in-house power generation efforts. The letter also reminded about the loan that the government has secured from Saudi Arabia to develop a sixty megawatt solar plant, generating ninety percent of the country’s demand. And finally, the Ministry of Energy plans to add a battery storage system to support the national grid’s output.