Honduran Congress Delays Energy Reform Amid Legislative Absences

A lack of roughly 25 sitting deputies from the Liberal, Libre, and National parties has halted debate on Honduras' long‑awaited energy reform, according to Liberal congressman Marco Tulio Gavarrete. The deputies are absent not due to strikes but because they are out of the country, preventing the Congress from meeting the quorum needed for a bill of this scale.

The postponement comes as the country's electricity sector suffers daily losses of about 50 million lempiras. Engineers and renewable‑energy specialists warn that without immediate managerial decisions, the legal reform alone will not curb the financial drain. They point to chronic issues such as the state utility ENEE’s inefficient distribution network, the need for transparent procurement of private investors, and the upcoming expiration of 840 MW of thermal capacity by 2028. Both legislators and sector experts stress that the next weeks must bring a coordinated plan to reduce losses and attract investment, or the crisis will persist despite the eventual passage of the reform.