BELIZE STUDIES NUCLEAR POWER PLANT OF 500 MEGAWATTS

*** Typical 500 megawatt nuclear power plant that Belize is contemplating installing to ensure a reliable electrical supply for the growing population.

SPAIN - Garona 500 megawatt nuclear power plant was off line in April this year 2009, for refueling. During start up, it was disconnected from the grid, while a safety valve had to be replaced. It is now working again. SPAIN has nine nuclear power plants of different sizes.
Belize does not have sufficient electricity and four hydro electric dams in the country have ruined the environment, destroyed the pristine nature of some of the tourist attractions and still lack the capacity to supply enough electrical power. A BAGASSE power plant is coming on line from the single small sugar factory. There is a private sector contributor using WARTSILLA diesel generation on a 30 year contract. Still the electrical power supply for the future is in doubt. FORTIS a Canadian company has been looking after electrical power supply mostly and all of the distribution network in a seperate company. In recent years FORTIS got embroiled with the government and people over finagling the accounts charging customers and balance sheet discrepancies that might in certain circles be called FRAUD. The newspapers were full of investigative articles. Eventually the public arguments were settled by the new PUC, or Public Utilities Commission. Up until then there had been no oversight of utility services. There are still outages, brownouts and the idea is that the Government itself is going to have to find another private investor to put in a 500 megawatt nuclear power plant. FORTIS cannot be trusted the ordinary people feel, to back any future large investments and while there is satisfaction with distribution and repair work, the future population growth need something better. What that will be nobody yet knows, as the country is bankrupt otherwise.