Power Outage Affects Southern Belize Due to Temporary Loss of Supply from Mexico

A power outage occurred in southern Belize on Tuesday, affecting several areas including Punta Gorda, Placencia, and other communities. The outage was caused by a temporary loss of power supply from Mexico's Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), the state-owned electric utility company.

Belize Electricity Limited (BEL), the national electricity provider, reported that the power loss was due to a disruption in supply from CFE and was not related to any issues on BEL's end. The company stated that its teams were working to restore power as quickly as possible using local generation sources.

The unplanned outage impacted parts of Toledo and Stann Creek Districts, as well as Cayo District and San Pedro Town, according to BEL. The limited generation capacity resulting from the loss of CFE supply forced BEL to rely on stabilizing the power supply through its own resources.

BEL assured customers that it would provide updates on the situation as more information became available. The company did not provide an estimated time for power restoration, as it depended on resolving the issue with the supply from Mexico.

Cross-border electricity trade between Mexico and Belize has existed for several years, with Belize relying on CFE for a portion of its power supply. Disruptions in this supply, while infrequent, can have significant impacts on Belize's power grid and lead to outages like the one experienced on Tuesday.

In the affected areas, businesses and residents had to cope with the lack of electricity, which disrupted daily activities and caused inconveniences. Essential services like hospitals and emergency response teams likely had to rely on backup power sources during the outage.

The power outage in southern Belize highlights the country's dependence on external energy sources and the importance of having robust contingency plans in place. BEL will need to work closely with CFE to determine the cause of the supply disruption and take steps to minimize the risk of similar incidents in the future.

As of the latest reports, BEL was still working to restore power to the affected areas using its local generation capacity. The company continues to monitor the situation and will provide further updates to customers as progress is made in stabilizing the power supply.

Key Takeaways

• Power outage in southern Belize due to disruption in supply from Mexico's CFE
• BEL working to restore power using local generation sources
• Outage impacted businesses and residents, disrupting daily activities
• Highlights Belize's dependence on external energy sources and need for contingency plans
• BEL monitoring situation and providing updates to customers