Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) is the primary distributor of

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

, Central America. Aggregate energy sold was approximately 588.4 gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2019, up from 554.4 GWh in 2018. The Company served a customer base of over 100,000 accounts, an increase of over 1100 accounts in 2018, with a peak power demand of approximately 105.6 megawatts (MW) during the year. BEL’s national

electricity grid An electrical grid (or electricity network) is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids consist of power stations, electrical substations to step voltage up or down, electric power trans ...

connects all major municipalities (load centers), except for Caye Caulker, with approximately 1,900 miles of transmission and primary distribution lines. Caye Caulker is server by an off-grid power station. The grid is primarily supplied by local Independent Power Producers (IPP) utilizing

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

, biomass, petroleum and

solar energy Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is a ...

sources, and is secured and stabilized by the interconnection with Mexico. BEL also operates a

gas turbine A gas turbine or gas turbine engine is a type of Internal combustion engine#Continuous combustion, continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas gene ...

plant as a standby plant for energy security and reliability. As of 2019, 58.6% of electrical production was renewable, making Belize the number one

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

producer (by percentage produced) in the Caribbean. The Government of Belize is the largest shareholder in BEL, with direct ownership of 32.58% interest in the Company. The Social Security Board owns 31.27% interest in the Company, so that the public sector interest amounts to 63.85%.

Fortis Inc. Fortis Inc. is a Canadian electric utility holding company, based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. It operates in Canada, the United States, Central America and the Caribbean. In 2015, it earned . Fortis was formed in 1987, when shareho ...

owns 33.30%, and over 1,500 small shareholders own the remaining 2.85% interest in ordinary shares.

References

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External links

Belize Electricity Limited

Public Utilities Commission
Electric power companies of North America Energy companies established in 1950 1950 establishments in British Honduras Electric power in Belize