Belize’s government has won what it is calling a definitive victory in the protracted legal dispute over its effort to dam the Macal river in western Belize’s Maya Mountains. In a 3-2 decision issued in late January, Britain’s Privy Council dismissed allegations by conservationists that the Belizean government’s environmental approval of the Chalillo hydroelectric project was carried out illegally. “Yet again, we have been vindicated by the courts,” says Joseph Sukhnandan, vice president for planning and engineering of Belize Electric Limited (Bel), which is the sole provider of electricity in Belize and is controlled by the Canadian-owned company Fortis. “It has been totally demonstrated, by the highest court of appeal in the British Commonwealth, that Fortis did not break the law. We won this... [Log in to read more]