Study shows Belize oil refinery not feasible

Dean Barrow

The United Democratic Party’s campaign manifesto going into General Elections earlier this year included the prospect of establishing a national oil refinery.  In fact, during a press conference unveiling the UDP’s platform, P.M. Barrow said he was, “absolutely determined that there will be the construction of an oil refinery in this country.  We have to start processing our own local crude.” Since being re-elected, however, the Barrow Administration has been rather silent on that promise.  Today the prime minister told the media that after conducting a preliminary study, setting up a refinery in Belize would not be practical.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“We had a study done.  We had a feasibility study done, paid for by ourselves and BNE.  Our share came from something we made off a backhaul arrangement we had allowed B.N.E. to have done.  Bottom line though that study shows that it’s not feasible in current circumstance at all.  It’s not going to, in terms of the throughput and the economies of scale, they aren’t there so that it would not result in any appreciable lowering of the price to the consumer at all.”