On November 5, 2026, Belize’s upper legislative chamber voted unanimously to pass a historic motion that creates a seven-member Special Select Committee tasked with conducting a sweeping, independent audit of 10 consecutive years of systemic failures that have plunged the nation into a persistent, crippling energy crisis. Introduced by Business Senator Kevin Herrera, the motion was drafted to answer widespread public outcry over years of routine rolling blackouts, crippling load shedding, costly overreliance on Mexican state utility CFE, and a national power grid so fragile that entire sectors of the economy grind to a halt during peak demand seasons. In his floor address, Herrera emphasized that ordinary Belizeans have borne the brunt of years of mismanagement: small and medium-sized businesses have lost tens of thousands of dollars in spoiled inventory and lost operating hours, household quality of life has been repeatedly disrupted, and citizens across the country have demanded clear, unvarnished answers as to why the national power infrastructure remains so vulnerable in 2026. He stressed that the committee’s work must be fully impartial, untainted by partisan bias, and focused on unpacking failed policies, problematic long-term energy contracts, and unaddressed operational gaps that led the nation to its current crisis point. Government Senator Linsford Castillo, while voicing full support for the motion’s goals of transparency and accountability, pushed back against any implicit framing that the current administration had neglected to take proactive steps to mitigate ongoing energy strains, noting that the investigation must fairly document recent mitigation efforts alongside critical reviews of past missteps. The seven-member panel will include balanced representation from government caucuses, opposition lawmakers, and independent civil society stakeholders, granting it full subpoena power to compel testimony from current and former energy sector officials, full access to confidential past power purchase agreements, reviews of the Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) regulatory oversight track record, and examinations of Belize Electricity Limited’s (BEL) costly, decades-long reliance on polluting, expensive emergency diesel generation. The committee is also authorized to host open, live public hearings to collect direct testimony from affected residents and business owners, with a mandatory deadline to submit its full findings and actionable recommendations to the Senate by March 2027.