Released on October 28, 2026, this investigative segment from a local evening newscast casts light on a little-scrutinized layer of Belize’s public utility regulatory framework, centered on the monthly power cost filings submitted by national provider Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
For years, BEL has turned over detailed monthly records outlining every dollar it spends procuring power from a diverse mix of local and regional generation sources, data that directly feeds into the Cost of Power Adjustment (COPA) mechanism that shapes end-user electricity rates across the country. The COPA framework is designed to pass through legitimate, unavoidable power procurement costs to consumers, but the new reporting raises critical public questions about the level of independent, granular verification the PUC conducts to confirm the accuracy of the figures BEL provides.
During a public on-the-record discussion, PUC Director of Operations Leon Westby walked through the commission’s current review workflow, noting that every monthly COPA-related decision is published in full on the PUC’s public website, where any resident can cross-reference the actual wholesale power prices BEL pays against the rates formally approved for consumer billing. Westby also acknowledged that the PUC has documented consistent patterns of under-recovery in recent months, meaning BEL’s actual power procurement costs have outpaced the amounts factored into existing customer rates.
When pressed by reporter Paul Lopez on whether the commission conducts independent third-party audits or cross-verification to confirm that all reported cost pressures are truly unavoidable, rather than relying solely on data supplied by BEL itself, Westby clarified that the regulator’s confidence in the submitted filings stems from two core safeguards: BEL’s full annual financial statements are subject to mandatory independent external audit, and the vast majority of the power procurement costs BEL reports are locked in via formal, publicly traceable long-term supply contracts. Westby added that the PUC does not hesitate to demand additional supporting documentation or formal clarification whenever a submitted figure appears anomalous or out of line with established market trends.
The broadcast segment notes that the transcript is a direct, lightly adapted rendering of the evening television discussion, with any Kriol-language comments from speakers transcribed using a standardized official spelling system for accessibility.
BEL Reports the Costs, But Who Verifies Them?
