Honduras electricity coverage drops to 84.6%, 379,000 homes still lack power

The Honduran Secretariat of Energy reported that the electricity coverage index fell to 84.64%, leaving 378,920 households without service, mainly in rural areas such as Yoro, Olancho and El Paraíso. The figure marks a decline from the previous 85.77% coverage measured in 2021. The report highlighted private investments in the Bay Islands and an $80 million loan from the Inter‑American Development Bank aimed at expanding access in the department of Gracias a Dios. Secretary of Energy Eduardo Oviedo stressed that closing the gap will require gradual infrastructure investment and the approval of reforms to the General Electricity Industry Law to attract national and foreign capital.

Energy analyst Edgar Aguilar warned that Honduras lags 30‑40 years behind regional peers in electricity system modernization. He called for reforms to improve efficiency, resilience to climate impacts such as low water levels at the El Cajón dam and forest fires, and to open the market for private participation in generation, transmission and distribution while keeping ENEE publicly owned. Aguilar urged legislators to adopt an independent regulator and a corporate‑governance model for ENEE to lower costs for consumers.