Browse Honduras Daily Stories

Honduras's new Energy Justice Law seeks to attract investment and boost competition in the electric sector while freezing ENEE rates for the first six months and opening the way for short- and long-term energy auctions and residential solar projects.

President Nasry Asfura signed the Law of Energy Justice, which restructures the state power utility ENEE by separating generation, transmission, and distribution into three subsidiary companies while maintaining state ownership, aimed at reducing losses and improving electricity service.

Congress Energy Commission member Eder Mejía said the government's electric-sector reforms, which would forgive debts for users consuming under 200 kWh monthly, freeze rates for six months, and regularize illegal connections, are expected to be published in the official gazette next week.

ENEE Manager Guillermo Peña Panting said Congress-approved energy reforms are not being modified and outlined a timeline for implementation once published in the official gazette, including meetings with multilateral lenders and planning for resources, staffing, and technical support.

Honduras's newly approved Energy Justice Law, passed by Congress on August 31 with 78 votes, has not yet been published in the official gazette and cannot take effect until the President signs or vetoes it; business groups say swift implementation is critical to address the country's electricity crisis.

Dozens of Hondurans carrying torches and signs marched peacefully to Casa Presidencial on Friday demanding government action on the country's water shortage and opposing recent energy reforms approved by Congress.

Former president Manuel Zelaya criticized Congress's approval of an energy-reform law as a surrender of state control to private corporations, arguing it exemplifies how élites and external political pressure undermine Honduran democracy.

The president of Congress announced that lawmakers will resume debate on controversial reforms to Honduras's electricity sector on Tuesday, with party caucuses still negotiating points of disagreement ahead of the planned third and final vote.

The National Congress is poised to vote on an energy-reform bill next week after reaching broad consensus among parties, while preparing to review the 2027 budget with emphasis on food security and drought relief.

The Partido Nacional said it would back the Liberal Party's competing energy-sector bill if it gains legislative consensus, citing insufficient votes for its own proposal and the urgency of approving public contracts to lower electricity costs for consumers.

The National Congress has delayed debate on an energy-reform bill at the executive branch's request, deferring discussion until further notice to allow time for consensus-building.

Congressman Yuri Sabas criticized the government's energy-reform bill for lacking substantive changes, warning that ENEE could become as hollowed-out as the failed state telecom Hondutel despite holding valuable assets like major dams.

More than half of the Liberal Party's congressional members oppose energy-sector reforms being pushed by the party's legislative leader, Jorge Cálix, with lawmakers citing concerns that the proposal lacks popular support and needs deeper analysis.

The Liberal Party caucus presented a counterproposal to the government's energy-reform law, saying it includes legal safeguards and structural guarantees to benefit Hondurans while preventing what lawmakers call privatization risks to state utility ENEE.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano declared that privatization of the national electricity company ENEE is entirely off the table, saying proposed reforms to energy law aim instead to stabilize the utility's finances and resolve the country's power crisis.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano called on the Liberal Party to submit its observations on a proposed reform to Honduras's electricity law, framing the modernization of the troubled state utility ENEE as urgent for all Hondurans, not just the governing party.

Congressman Rumy Bueso said the Liberal caucus rejects the government's energy reforms, arguing they weaken state utility ENEE, and will introduce a counterproposal to strengthen the public company without privatization.

The Association of Petroleum Product Distributors (Ahdippe) called on lawmakers to more carefully analyze energy-system reform proposals, citing concerns about technical losses, ENEE debt recovery, and accountability before the bill advances.

The Patriotic Solidarity Coalition has called on Congress to strengthen a bipartisan electric-sector reform bill before passage, arguing it must address structural causes of the ENEE crisis—including arrears, technical losses, and governance failures—while guaranteeing state control of the system.

Ronald Panchamé, head of the Libre congressional bloc, announced the party will present a counterproposal to the government's electric-sector reform bill currently under discussion.

The opposition Liberal Party says it will back planned overhaul of Honduras's electric sector only if the government explicitly guarantees that the state-owned ENEE will not be privatized and public assets will not be pledged as collateral.

Vice President María Antonieta Mejía has called on lawmakers to hold a technical debate on proposed reforms to the state-run electricity company ENEE, which faces losses of about 16 billion lempiras (roughly $640 million) and is hampering public investment in education and infrastructure.

The Liberal Party introduced a counterproposal for electricity-sector reform that would restructure ENEE using state-controlled public companies instead of private commercial entities, aiming to strengthen operational efficiency while maintaining state control.

A National Party congressman says proposed reforms to Honduras's energy law aim to rescue the state utility ENEE from financial collapse—it loses about 1.5 billion lempiras monthly—and denies the measure includes privatization, calling reports of a selloff false.

Congress suspended debate on a proposed energy modernization law after the Liberal Party and social sectors demanded more time and transparency, citing concerns over potential rate increases and the future of the state electricity company ENEE.

José Azcona, a Liberal Party engineer and former congressman, argues that the government's proposed restructuring of the state power utility into three private-market companies would effectively privatize the electricity market and raise costs for poor consumers, though he says ENEE can be rescued without direct privatization.

Marvin Ponce alleged Wednesday that five Liberal Party members of Congress are demanding bribes in exchange for votes on energy reforms aimed at reducing electricity theft and restructuring the state utility into three separate entities.

The Asfura administration briefed leaders of the Evangelical Confraternity of Honduras on its proposed energy-sector restructuring bill; Criterio.hn, a critical outlet, reports that opponents argue the measure amounts to privatization of ENEE and would ultimately drive up electricity prices for consumers.

Honduras's human-rights committee supports the government's electricity reforms but is pressing for legal guarantees that the state-owned national power utility will not be privatized and that benefits reach all sectors, as Congress prepares to vote on the overhaul this week.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano announced that lawmakers have reached consensus on electricity-industry reforms and may hold a final vote next Tuesday, citing annual losses exceeding 16 billion lempiras at the state utility and chronic blackouts affecting Honduras more severely than neighboring countries.