BEL Signs Deal for 15 Megawatt Solar Plant in Corozal

Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) and Blair Athol Power Company Limited (BAPCOL) have taken a major step forward in Belize’s renewable energy journey with the signing of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the development of a 15 megawatt utility-scale solar plant. The project will also include a 1.5 megawatt per 3-megawatt hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and is slated to be built in Buena Vista Village, Corozal. This agreement marks a pivotal moment in Belize’s transition toward a cleaner, more sustainable, and resilient energy future. Once operational, the solar plant will feed clean renewable energy directly into the National Grid, helping to reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels while improving energy security. Andrew Marshalleck, Chairman of the BEL Board of Directors, emphasized the importance of this milestone, describing utility-scale solar as the future of energy generation in Belize.

Andrew Marshalleck, BEL Chairman: “The significance of it is that we all know and all agree that utility-scale solar is the future for energy generation in the country. This is the furthest we’ve ever reached down the road actually putting a plant on the ground. And we thought it was worth celebrating and documenting. What comes next is that they now move to start building out the facility. And it’s a 12-month proposition and so by next year you should see a plant on the ground and utility scale solar being put on the grid and that’s a very good thing for everybody.”

Reporter: Can you explain why the signing of the PPP happens before actual construction? 

Andrew Marshalleck, BEL Chairman: “Because it sets out the terms for operations, it sets out operating parameters that must be met and it also sets out price and it also is an arrangement under which BEL agrees to buy the power that this plant will produce at a pre-approved price. This is why solar is needed because it will exert a downward pressure on the average cost of power….”

Reporter: You already know the price. 
Andrew Marshalleck, BEL Chairman: “Yes but it’s a unit price and you don’t know how much will be produced and you will have better data once it starts functioning to make better projections, but projections have been made. But it’s not that I can tell you what it will be down to the cents, it will be lower than a number of sources that we rely on now. So that when you average it together with those sources, it brings down the overall average cost of power.”

The battery storage system will play a crucial role in stabilizing the intermittent nature of solar power, ensuring a more reliable and steady supply of electricity to consumers across Belize. BEL and BAPCOL plan to work closely together, aiming for commercial operations within 12 to 18 months after construction begins.