Browse Honduras Daily Stories

An ASJ watchdog report warns that energy losses at Honduras's state power company have risen to 34.4%, a major 1,500-megawatt energy tender already delayed to 2027 risks supply shortages, and the three successor companies can absorb only a fifth of a 143.8-billion-lempira debt.

Honduras's state electric company (Enee) loses approximately L8.8 billion (roughly $352 million) in the first half of 2026 due to theft, technical losses, and billing failures, forcing the government to subsidize tariffs rather than pass costs to consumers.

Although the Central Bank reported a strong rebound in foreign investment to $468.3 million in the second quarter of 2026, economists warn that most flows are reinvestment by existing companies rather than new capital, reflecting Honduras's weak regional competitiveness.

Intercity bus fares across Honduras have risen an average of 17.25% ahead of the Morazán holiday weekend, with passengers paying significantly more as fuel prices increase transportation costs.

Diesel fuel prices in Honduras surged 77% from January to September 2026, rising from L81.27 to L149.20 per gallon and surpassing 2022 highs, straining transport operators and household budgets across the country.

Outstanding electricity bills owed to Honduras's state power utility have climbed to L21.1 billion (about $845 million) as of August 31, with residential customers accounting for more than half the debt despite repeated government payment relief programs.

With informal employment near 78%, experts say Honduras can expand formal jobs by strengthening micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises through better access to financing, streamlined regulations, and growth incentives.

Honduras has 3.79 million employed workers with average monthly income reaching L10,356 (about $415), up 6.9% from 2025, though unemployment rose to 7.1% and 61.1% of households remain below the poverty line.

El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras received $29.1 billion in remittances in the first seven months of 2026, a 7.1% increase from the same period in 2025, with Honduras seeing an 11.2% year-over-year gain.

With over 70,000 Hondurans losing protected status in the US, economists warn that potential returnees will strain Honduras's already-weak job market, which lacks sufficient formal employment and faces a skills gap between workers and employer needs.

Honduras's pension and housing fund RAP has L3.86 billion (about $155 million) available for home loans this year, with RAP director Juan Carlos Sikaffy saying the fund aims to broaden access to housing credit for affiliated workers.

Former ENEE general manager Salomón Ordóñez warns that Honduras's largest hydroelectric reservoir has lost 50% of its generating capacity due to drought, with power-sector reform results expected in two to three years.

Year-on-year inflation in Honduras reached 6.20% in August 2026, driven by rising fuel, food, and electricity costs amid adverse weather that has damaged agricultural output and pushed 64% of the goods and services in the consumer basket higher.

Construction and tourism industry leaders say they can absorb thousands of Hondurans returning due to TPS (Temporary Protected Status) termination, citing demand for bilingual, skilled workers, though they stress the need for government coordination.

The National Congress established a working group with legislators and government officials to investigate rising prices in essential foods and household goods, identify speculative pricing, and determine legal penalties for unjustified increases.

ENEE's manager Guillermo Peña Panting says stabilizing power supply is the immediate priority as the utility faces infrastructure weakness that could extend through 2026 and into next summer, while the recently approved electricity sector reform begins implementation.

Honduras is separating ENEE's generation, transmission, and distribution into distinct state-owned companies and creating an independent system and market operator, mirroring reforms other Central American nations completed 20–25 years ago.

Honduras's new Energy Justice Law freezes electricity rates for six months, but the Electricity Regulatory Commission warns that bills can still increase if household consumption rises or if commercial charges apply.

Unaffiliated employers can register with Honduras's private pension system (RAP) through September 28 without penalties, back payments, or fees, aiming to expand coverage and let workers access housing loans and retirement benefits.

Honduras's Energy Justice Law establishes a three-month amnesty period for users with illegal or tampered electrical connections to voluntarily comply and avoid civil or criminal penalties, after which ENEE and authorities will pursue enforcement.

Two educated Hondurans—a lawyer who returned after studying abroad and an architect who stayed—demonstrate that retaining skilled workers requires domestic opportunities in sectors like special economic zones and international projects.

Honduras's government and poultry producers, representing 80% of national output, agreed to cut the price of a carton of eggs to 95 lempiras (about $3.80) at Banasupro stores nationwide and 104 lempiras (about $4.15) at Mercado Zonal Belén, with monthly cost reviews to follow.

The electrical regulator (CREE) is expected to approve a 17% rate increase on September 30, but a six-month rate freeze and state subsidies enacted by Congress will prevent the increase from reaching residential and vulnerable consumers.

The Honduran lempira has weakened past 27 per dollar, raising costs for basic goods, fuel, medicines, and utilities in an import-dependent economy where domestic production cannot meet demand.

More than 1,400 formal businesses have shut down and registered with Honduras's tax authority (SAR) since 2022, with 200 closures occurring so far this year, concentrated in Francisco Morazán, Cortés, and Comayagua departments.

Honduras's Energy Ministry announced new fuel prices effective August 31, with gasoline declining slightly in San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa while diesel rises with a temporary government subsidy of L1.86–L1.95 per gallon.

Honduras has begun delivering 15 million coffee plants to more than 5,000 farmers across several departments to renovate farms using agroforestry systems.

Honduras's two-month vehicle tax amnesty, which waives penalties and interest on unpaid annual vehicle fees through 2025, expires today; over 45,000 owners have already taken advantage, generating L51.8 million in collections.

Honduras's business community will present Congress with reforms to the Partial Employment Law by late August, seeking to ease hiring rules and expand job opportunities, particularly in call centers and digital-economy sectors.

Cohep's president warned that technical losses, theft, and illegal power tapping in the national grid represent resources that could be redirected to health, education, and infrastructure, and called for Congress to approve an energy-law overhaul to strengthen state utility Enee.