He announced during the visit that Stanley Engineering, which was involved in the building of the hydro, is concluding another study due to be submitted on February 28. It was Stanley that did the first study a few years ago on the hydro’s rehabilitation. That study was commissioned by the United States government, which had pledged that they would help Liberia rebuild the hydro. Unfortunately, following Stanley’s submission of its study nothing was heard from the Americans. So President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf passed her first six years with most of the nation still in darkness, and submerged under the cloud of carbon monoxide emitted from the ten of thousands of generators that Liberians and foreigners alike have been forced to use for energy.
One of the sad consequences of this situation is the continuous cutting down of Liberia’s fauna (vegetation) for the production of charcoal for cooking and other purposes around the country. With the reliable and inexpensive supply of energy from the hydro, the electrification of the entire country and the hopeful introduction of solar energy, the demand for charcoal would drop and our trees allowed to grow again. This would ensure our sustained, year round rain fall so crucial to our quest for food self-sufficiency.
The Daily Observer made a follow-up call to Finance Minister Konneh Wednesday night, when he made another startling and hopeful revelation. He said that Stanley’s latest study, which is due the end of this month, will include estimates for the development of an upstream reservoir on the St. Paul River, that could generate up to 800 mega watts of electricity.
Stanley’s first study factored in only the original 64 mega watt capacity that Liberia boasted in the early 1960s, nearly a half century ago.
Clearly, that would be a very serious shortfall, when we take into consideration a number of factors. First, the population of Monrovia alone has trebled since the 1960s, when it was only 400,000. Today it is 1.2 million. This requires at least 100 to 200 mega watts. Second, there is the influx of many major industrial companies, including China Union, which alone requires at least 120 mega watts of electricity for its operations. Arcelor Mittal requires another 200 mega watts. As the economy grows and the country encourages more manufacturing and agro-industrial enterprises, the demand for energy will increase.
That is why it makes so much sense that government, judging from Finance Minister Konneh’s revelation, is seriously thinking of going the whole hog once and for all, rather than an energy capacity we needed 50 years ago.
It is also heartening to note that the meeting to consider the Stanley Engineering report will include not only Liberia’s development partners but also her major industries. Together they will carefully examine the Stanley study and discuss all of the issues, including financing the 800 to 1000 mega watts hydro.
This will be one of the major challenges of the new administration and President Sirleaf is fortunate to have close to her side two major players that can help her reach the goal of affordable and sufficient energy. The two are Foreign Minister Augustine K. Ngafuan and Finance Minister Konneh, who just succeeded Mr. Ngafuan at Finance. This powerful duo, backed by the immense international goodwill which President Sirleaf has garnered for Liberia, should be able to spearhead the fundraising.
Liberia, having had her US$4.6 billion debt cancelled, is by no means in a hurry to start raking in new loans. Foreign Minister Ngafuan must get busy solidifying old friendships and nurturing new ones who can help us achieve our energy and other goals. The task of Finance Minister Konneh, working in collaboration also with Central Bank Executive Governor Mills Jones and other key players within the government, will be to strategize the formation of a consortium that will help us raise the billion dollars that we may need to build the 800-1000 mega watt hydro.
The cost may be less. Let us see what Stanley Engineering will say on February 28.
