The general manager of Honduras’ state-owned power utility, the National Electric Energy Company (ENEE), Eduardo Oviedo, has called for a comprehensive restructuring of the country’s electricity sector.
Speaking during a key meeting organised by the Energy Commission of the Honduran National Congress, Oviedo stressed that both the sector and the public utility require a profound transformation to regain financial sustainability.
“We need a complete restructuring of the energy sector and of the National Electric Energy Company. We must change the philosophy of how we view the business so that it once again becomes a prosperous company that generates benefits for the people of Honduras,” the executive said.
The meeting was convened to analyse the current state of the national electricity system, which has faced mounting financial and operational challenges in recent years.
For his part, the chairman of the Energy Commission, Milton Puerto, highlighted concerns over ENEE’s growing deficit, excessive staffing levels and significant operational losses — factors that continue to weigh heavily on Honduras’ public finances.
“We have a fiscal deficit of nearly USD 1.3 billion per month, and we must take decisive action to deliver a major solution to this problem facing the Honduran state,” Puerto stated.
Oviedo acknowledged the scale of the challenge and argued that a fundamental shift in strategy is required. He pointed out that historically ENEE transferred revenues to the government, helping finance public services such as healthcare and education.
However, he emphasised that the company’s current financial distress is not the result of recent developments, but rather the consequence of structural deterioration accumulated across previous administrations. This has weakened both the utility’s operational capacity and the country’s public finances.
According to Oviedo, the situation has reached a point where ENEE would not be able to operate without financial transfers from the Ministry of Finance, underscoring the urgency of reform in Honduras’ electricity sector.
