Asfura asks for Congress's full backing to save ENEE and curb million-dollar losses

Honduran President Nasry Asfura has appealed to the 128 members of the National Congress to approve reforms for the country's electrical subsector, warning that the dire financial state of the National Electric Energy Company (ENEE) poses a major threat to national development. The president expressed optimism that the reforms could be approved within the week.

"Support me with the law," Asfura implored legislators, describing the state-owned utility's economic situation as a "gigantic economic hemorrhage" that severely restricts funding for essential services such as health, education, and infrastructure. While acknowledging the reforms are not an immediate fix for decades-old problems, he stressed they are a vital step toward halting the company's financial decline.

The proposed initiative seeks to modernize ENEE's operations, cut down on technical and commercial losses, bolster energy distribution and transmission, and enhance service quality for citizens. President Asfura firmly rejected any notion that these reforms would lead to privatization, stating, "This is not about privatization. We are focused on achieving the best efficiency for ENEE." He did, however, support private sector involvement in specific generation and supply needs.

Key measures include investing in new transmission lines, installing previously unfunded transformers, strengthening circuits with high loss rates, and upgrading metering systems. Asfura highlighted that some circuits currently experience energy losses of up to 56%, an unsustainable situation. He also mentioned the closure of the National Loss Reduction Program to eliminate redundancies and streamline operations.

Furthermore, Asfura noted that the ENEE crisis is a primary concern for both domestic and international investors, as well as financial organizations. "The first thing they ask us is what we are going to do with the ENEE, because it cannot continue like this," he stated. The reforms are set to be officially presented to Congress, with officials hoping for swift discussion and approval to drive a transformation deemed crucial for the country's financial and energy stability.