By Zoila Palma: Prime Minister John Briceño, leading a high-level Belizean delegation to the 2026 World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, met with Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President Ilan Goldfajn to discuss Belize’s energy security, electricity costs and the expansion of renewable energy.
The bilateral meeting focused on potential areas for increased cooperation to strengthen the country’s energy sector and address challenges affecting Belize and the wider Caribbean.
Discussions included efforts to reduce electricity costs, expand renewable energy generation, strengthen transmission infrastructure and advance regional energy integration through the SIEPAC electricity interconnection system.
They also discussed support for Belize Electricity Limited (BEL), the planned submarine cable upgrade serving San Pedro, and opportunities for greater technical and financial assistance from the IDB for Belize’s energy development.
The regional sargassum crisis was another key issue raised during the meeting.
The Prime Minister highlighted the severe effects of sargassum on tourism destinations, including San Pedro and Hopkins, as well as its broader health, environmental and economic consequences. He emphasized the need for greater international recognition of sargassum as a disaster risk, given its growing impact on coastal communities and tourism-dependent economies across the region.
PM Briceño also noted that the Government of Belize is consulting with the private sector on ways to use sargassum by-products for electricity generation and other waste-to-energy initiatives.
President Goldfajn acknowledged the regional dimension of the challenge and affirmed the IDB’s willingness to engage its technical teams in exploring support mechanisms that could help transform sargassum from a growing threat into a sustainable economic opportunity for Belize and the wider Caribbean.
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