Time is running out for Belize Electricity Limited as its arrangement with the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (C.F.E.) of Mexico, which supplies about 70% of the country with power, is maxed out. Massive and rolling blackouts can arise if B.E.L. is unable to make regular payments to keep its $8Million debt to CFE below the credit limit and Prime Minister Dean Barrow says that B.E.L. will have to handle its own affairs.

Belize Electricity Limited is in grave financial trouble and owes millions to creditors and its primary supplier of power, Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) of Mexico, who may cut power to Belize in ten days or less. According to Lynn Young, CEO of B.E.L., they have to be making payments on a daily basis to keep below the credit limit and the last payment made only gave them 10 to 12 days of credit.

"I don't think the government will allow that to happen, but at the end of the day, we all have to be responsible about the electrical supply to the country," commented Lynn Young to News 5, Belize City. "I can't imagine rolling blackouts with crime situation as it is in Belize City, not to mention the effect on the economy - we just can't have that. So quite frankly, if we don't pay CFE they will cut us off. If they cut us off, we don't have enough water to carry the country for more than five or six days. So there will be rolling blackouts."

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