Corazon Creek Village Celebrates New Solar Power Project, Improving Access to Electricity

Villagers in the remote community of Corazon Creek in the Toledo District will now have improved access to electricity through solar power. Yesterday, the Briceno Administration held the closing ceremony for a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Project. The southern community has the largest high school in the district and is home to hundreds of residents. The project is expected to benefit the community tremendously by providing them with renewable and sustainable energy. Toledo East Area Representative, Dr. Osmond Martinez spoke at the ceremony and underscored the importance of improving the lives of rural communities.

Dr.Osmond Martinez, Area Representative, Toledo East: “For many years, the village of Corazon have challenges due to the lack of reliable access to electricity. This has affected your daily lives, limited your opportunities to education and employment and hindered your ability to grow as a community. But today, we stand on the brink of change. I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere thank you to CDW Foundation for the great work that you are doing. And at the same time, you know, as a good politician, I have to say we still have a few more communities. So please don’t go away and don’t move from Belize as yet. We have a lot of work to do. The first one of the indicators to reduce poverty, there are 17 indicators within the country of Belize that help us to measure poverty and to see if people are poor, whether they are deprived or not. And access to electricity is one. But what electricity brings is a package. It’s a package because then you can bring telephone, internet, even industrial development, manufacturing, you know, but without electricity we won’t be able to do that.”

The project is a part of the government’s push to install solar grids in remote communities that do not have access to electricity. Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics, and E-Governance Jose Urbina spoke about the project’s significance. 

Jose Urbina, Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics: “This initiative is not only providing access to reliable and sustainable electricity, but also continues to lay the foundation for rural electrification efforts in Belize. Our government has recognized the need to extend reliable energy access to rural communities directly impacting economic opportunities, education and quality of life. As a team we have been able to overcome challenges traditionally associated with rural electrification such as geographic isolation, high infrastructure cost and low population density. I must say from earlier discussion with the chairman, 65 homes, a population of approximately 365 persons has been impacted. But it’s important to also mention, as our honorable minister mentioned, that Corazon Creek is the hub. Approximately, if I recall the number correctly, 15 other communities come to Corazon for education purposes. This project is a testament of successful collaboration, which effectively aligns the financial support with infrastructure development.”

The project was a partnership between Belize Electricity Limited (BEL), CDW Stiftung, and the Government of Belize.