Browse Honduras Daily Stories

Economist Fredy Tejada cautioned that Honduras faces obstacles in its sixth IMF agreement review, citing high current spending, budget execution below 50%, unfulfilled commitments to cut public-sector payroll, persistent inflation, and ongoing losses at the state electricity company.

The government froze electricity rates to prevent a 20% surge from power contracts signed by the previous administration, shielding household budgets and the economy while recent rainfall boosts hydroelectric generation.

ENEE will cut power across multiple zones in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, and Colón on October 23 for maintenance, with blackouts lasting between four and eight hours in each affected area.

The STENEE electrical workers' union says the International Monetary Fund's evaluation of Honduras should build on the recent power-sector reform law, which the union argues removed legal barriers to needed institutional investment and allowed ENEE to establish internal oversight and a structured loss-reduction plan.

ENEE announced planned electricity cuts across eight departments on October 22 for maintenance work, with outage windows varying by zone throughout the day.

René Alfaro, a former ENEE administrator, says Honduras's energy reforms have not yet produced tangible results and warns that tying financing to five-year loss-reduction targets lacks technical clarity and could hamper the state power utility's recovery.

Honduras's state power utility will forgive 100% of accumulated electricity debt—including penalties and interest—for low-income residential customers with average monthly consumption up to 250 kWh, under Article 20 of the Energy Justice Law approved in August.

Three weeks after Honduras's new Energy Justice Law took effect, a monitoring report finds only one of 42 required tasks completed, with losses at the state utility ENEE rising to 34.4% and a critical energy auction delayed to early 2027.

Honduras's state electricity utility ENEE has begun forgiving accumulated electric bills, penalties, and interest for low-income residential customers with monthly consumption of 250 kilowatt-hours or less, applying the Energy Justice Law.

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 power utility reduced its arrears to energy generators from over L16 billion to L7.4 billion (about $296 million) through payments exceeding L9 billion since April, while beginning to forgive residential customer debts under a new energy-justice law that could benefit up to 80,000 families.

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.

ENEE will conduct maintenance and electrical infrastructure work on Wednesday, October 14, causing outages lasting up to eight hours in multiple departments including Francisco Morazán, El Paraíso, Atlántida, Cortés, Santa Bárbara, Valle, and Choluteca.

Congress president Tomás Zambrano ordered the national power utility to implement a debt-forgiveness program for approximately 80,000–100,000 low-consumption households (under 250 kilowatts) without additional requirements beyond verifying existing debt, as mandated by the Energy Justice Law passed in August.

The national power utility ENEE reports no maintenance work or scheduled electricity cuts are planned for Sunday, October 11 across Honduras, though additional outages may be announced in coming hours.

The state power utility ENEE reports no planned blackouts for Saturday, October 10, though emergency crews remain on standby for unforeseen failures from storms, accidents, or equipment faults.

The state power utility ENEE announced no programmed outages for October 9, though it warned that unexpected service disruptions from storms, vehicle collisions with poles, and equipment failures remain possible.

The state power utility ENEE has contracted 2,073 megawatts of reliable capacity but faces a projected demand of 2,289 megawatts in 2027, requiring it to secure additional energy to prevent blackouts during peak periods from April through June.

Under new rules, Honduras's ENEE must use public tenders rather than direct contracts for future power purchases, with the first bidding process required to launch within 180 days and conclude within a year.

Honduras's state power utility ENEE, losing an estimated 40 million lempiras daily to illegal connections, meter tampering, and theft, is launching specialized crews nationwide to inspect, install meters, and cut service where electricity theft is found, aiming to recover lost revenue and strengthen its financial position.

Honduras's energy regulator approved a 0.64% average rate increase for state utility ENEE users effective October 1, but a legal rate freeze prevents the increase from appearing on bills; the government will absorb the deferred costs.

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.

The government installed an interagency committee to implement the Energy Justice Law, with a 600-megawatt generation tender among its first actions, aiming to reduce reliance on expensive diesel plants and lower power costs.

Honduras's national electricity company opened a three-month grace period for users with illegal or irregular electrical connections to formalize their service without facing administrative or criminal penalties for electricity theft.

Engineer Miguel Arriaga warns Honduras's state power company faces severe financial pressure from high generation costs, reduced hydroelectric output due to drought, and years-long delays in signing new capacity contracts, leaving ENEE unable to recover over 6 billion lempiras (~$240 million) in costs over six months.

The state electricity utility announced scheduled maintenance cuts affecting multiple regions—west, north, center, south, and Atlantic coast—on October 2, with outages lasting from morning to afternoon in specific municipalities and neighborhoods.

Honduras's electricity regulator approved a 0.64% rate increase for the fourth quarter of 2026, but the newly enacted Energy Justice Law blocks ENEE from passing the increase to consumers, keeping electricity bills frozen through March 2027.

Honduras's Supreme Audit Court found that the state power utility ENEE redirected about 2 billion lempiras (roughly $80 million) intended for a national program to reduce electrical losses, preventing the purchase of equipment and services needed to meet its efficiency targets in 2023–24.

The government announced that implementation of Honduras's Energy Justice Law will speed up with technical assistance from the Inter-American Development Bank, with a steering committee of Cabinet officials and energy agencies working to advance regulatory processes.

An energy analyst warns Honduras could face an unfavorable International Monetary Fund evaluation because state utility ENEE has failed to meet targets for reducing electricity distribution losses, a goal tied to the country's IMF program.