PETVILLE, Orange Walk District. Fri. Aug. 27, 2021– Today, the Prime Minister of Belize visited Petville to officially launch an electrification project for the area. This initiative is a part of a larger development plan for the site that is aimed at facilitating the movement of more of the district’s residents to Petville.
A potable water project spearheaded by the Government of Belize and Belize Water Services Limited is also underway in the village, and in the upcoming weeks construction of systems to enable the provision of electrical connections in the village will also start.
The implementation of the electrification project consists of 2 phases. The first of the two phases, which involved the designing process, has reached completion, and a transition into the second phase, in which construction will be done, is currently taking place. The B.E.L. team intends to start placing poles in the ground as early as two weeks from now so that customers can, as quickly as possible, become hooked up to the grid.
According to the Prime Minister, Hon. John Briceño, there are limited lots available in Orange Walk Town. To expand the town, the government embarked on construction on land across the river in the highlands to prepare it for inhabitation. The Cabinet believes this partnership with Belize Electricity Limited will expedite the moving of more people into the area. The introduction of electricity will allow people to move and build their homes more quickly in the Petville area.
Currently, approximately a dozen people live in the community. The Prime Minister stated his intention of issuing some 100 lots in the village in the near future. When these lots are allocated, they will have access to all the essential utilities such as water and electricity. Prime Minister Briceño noted that the Cabinet intends to build low-income houses and make loans available at low-interest rates. This will allow all Belizeans the opportunity to own a home and a lot.
Sean Fuller, the Retail and Commercial Services General Manager at Belize Electricity Limited, said, “B.E.L. has a system expansion program where we are canvassing the entire country to determine what areas have customers who are unserved. We are expanding our network to serve these new customers.” Petville became listed as one of these para-urban communities in Orange Walk with unserved customers.
Today, the team at B.E.L. discussed with the government their plans for the development of other areas to provide lots for more potential residents. Together, the working group looked at critical areas to determine how quickly they can begin serving them.