Browse Honduras Daily Stories

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.

A Liberal congresswoman confirmed discussions with US diplomats about Honduras's electric-sector reform and US investment opportunities, saying the US has made clear it has no interest in privatizing the state utility ENEE.

Lawmakers are intensifying negotiations to break a months-long deadlock over reforms to Honduras's electric power system, with legislators aiming to bring the bill to a final vote this week after incorporating opposition demands to protect state assets and reduce consumer costs.

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.

Honduras ranks third in Central America for residential electricity costs at $0.236 per kilowatt-hour, but economists say the true cost to users and public finances is far higher due to losses at the state utility Enee, debt servicing, and an incomplete energy-sector reform.

Congress plans to vote next week on restructuring the state electricity company to stem annual losses exceeding 16 billion lempiras (about $640 million), but passage depends on the Liberal Party's backing and its proposed reverse-auction mechanism for energy procurement.

ENEE will cut power across multiple communities in Olancho department on August 11 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for scheduled maintenance, including relocating a Culmí transformer and trimming vegetation near power lines.

Honduras's state electricity company is launching three public tenders to hire over 400 work crews to combat energy theft, install meters, manage disconnections, and maintain the power grid, following the end of a three-year loss-reduction program that failed to meet its goals.

Lawmakers are moving closer to agreement on reforms to Honduras's General Law of the Electrical Industry, with the Liberal Party and the legislative committee narrowing differences over how to attract private investment while keeping state assets under the control of the state-owned utility ENEE.

Lawmakers are negotiating a bill to rescue the troubled state electrical utility ENEE and modernize its aging infrastructure, with Congress leadership saying a formal vote could come this week or next.

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.

The Liberal Party congressional bloc will present next week an alternative proposal to reform Honduras's electric-industry law, conditioning their support on incorporating their technical observations drawn from successful regional models in Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Costa Rica.

Genesis Energy's natural-gas plant in Puerto Cortés, meant to supply fuel to utility Brassavola and replace diesel generation, has missed its original November 2024 deadline by nearly two years with five rescheduled start dates and minimal visible construction progress.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Honduras called for broader, technically-grounded public debate on proposed electrical-sector reforms, emphasizing that any modernization must preserve ENEE's state ownership and protect Honduran households and businesses from service disruptions and high costs.

Lawmakers will hold special sessions on June 30 and July 1 to debate and vote on government-backed reforms to restructure state utility ENEE, with Congress president Tomás Zambrano stressing that privatization is off the table.

Congress says it has secured the 65 votes needed to approve electricity-sector reforms aimed at modernizing the system and addressing ENEE's mounting losses—about 1.5 billion lempiras monthly—while rejecting opposition claims the measures would privatize the state utility.

Honduras's largest power plant, El Cajón, which supplies about 30% of the nation's electricity, is at risk of forced shutdowns due to aging equipment past its useful life and delays in purchasing critical replacement parts, engineers warn.

President Nasry Asfura said his administration will not privatize the state power utility ENEE but will pursue efficiency reforms and modernization to address the company's mounting losses, which he called Honduras's main economic problem.

Congress is prepared to review the executive's proposal to restructure the state electricity utility ENEE to reduce its 38% loss rate—which costs the state approximately L1.3 billion monthly—and lower electricity costs for consumers.

A draft law sent to Congress would restructure Honduras's electric system by splitting state utility ENEE into a holding company, creating an independent system operator, and opening the market to new generators and retailers, with experts projecting potential savings of $3.6 billion.