Description

Belize scored 0.98 to finish 32nd among the 55 Climatescope 2014 countries, and 15th in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The country received high marks on the installed capacity and clean energy investment indicators on a levelized basis, but it had a weak performance on the power sector structure and value chain indicators.

Belize is the smallest economy in Latin America, with a $3bn GDP that is dependent on tourism and commodities exports.

On a levelized basis, Belize boasts the largest share in Latin America and Caribbean of non-large hydro renewables in its power matrix, with 56% of its 155MW grid capacity accounted for by small hydro and biomass & waste. Diesel-powered generation accounts for the remaining local capacity, and the country imports a substantial amount of power from Mexico.

Seeking to cut its dependence on imported power and bolster local clean energy supplies, Belize in 2013 launched its first tender for renewable energy supply contracts. The auction aims to contract 75MW of power, of which 60MW is destined for competitive bidders across all energy sources, and 15MW is reserved exclusively for solar and wind. The tender results are expected to be announced by year-end 2014.