The Belize Electricity Limited and the Public Utilities Commission have been in and out of court over tariff reviews and rates. But all that has changed since the utility company is now government owned. B.E.L. today issued a release announcing that it is lifting an injunction which was granted by the Supreme Court, to prevent the P.U.C. from making any adjustments to electricity rates or taking regulatory action in relation to the 2008 P.U.C. Final Tariff Decision. B.E.L. had appealed the P.U.C.’s 2008 decision, but their case was dismissed. In May of this year, however, the Supreme Court granted the injunction against the P.U.C. Electricity rates have been frozen since 2008, but according to B.E.L., with the lifting of the injunction, the P.U.C. will be able to adjust electricity rates to reflect the current cost of power and other operational realities. The release also claims that expenses incurred during the three year legal battle have amounted to over four million dollars to date. The P.U.C. is also in the process of withdrawing its legal action against B.E.L., relating to the utility pole rental charges levied by the utility on cable and telephone operators. What we didn’t hear about is the thirty million or so dollars which the P.U.C. once said B.E.L. owes consumers.

Channel 5