Monrovia to Enjoy Full Electricity Supply by Year’s End

MONROVIA – Residents of Monrovia are expected to enjoy full power supply delivery by the end of this year, the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) has assured lawmakers.

In a briefing to the Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Lands, Mines, Energy and the Environment, Senator Richard B. Devine, the LEC management spoke of present activities and the future plans to increase the capacity of power delivery to the inhabitants of Monrovia by the end of 2010.

The presentation was made by the corporation’s Acting Managing Director, Joseph T. Mayah, during a courtesy call by Senators Devine of Bomi County and Gbehzongar Findley of Grand Bassa County. The lawmakers had gone to the LEC to acquaint themselves with operations at the corporation.

Mayah told the senators that beyond the Emergency Power Program (EPP), plans are underway to install a 10MW diesel plant at Bushrod Island. He said further discussions are going on to increase generation to about 30MW with independent power producers.

As part of the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) regional energy program, Mayah said, LEC, through the Government of Liberia, will benefit from the West African Power Pool (WAPP) following the construction of a transmission line to be operated at 225kV to interconnect Liberia, Sierra Lone and Guinea through the Ivorian network.

He told the senators that the government had established within the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy (LM&E) a Rural Renewal Energy Agency (RREA) to provide affordable alternative energy to rural communities. The agency is presently located at the LEC compound.

Mayah also informed the senators that the Government, through the LM&E, had also completed the National Energy Policy (NEP) Document for Liberia, adding that the document had been approved by the Cabinet pending legislative enactment of certain portions that require legislative action.

He thanked the Government of Norway for providing a grant of US$12.6 million for the expansion of the distribution network that will interconnect all four of its presently operational power stations. The project will expand the LEC distribution network to Gardnerville, Bushrod Island, Old Road, Capitol Hill, Sinkor and other locations.

The LEC Acting Manager also intimated that the Government of Liberia, with donations from the Norwegian Government, was concluding arrangements to implement a management contract for the LEC, having a period of five years to rebuild the capacity of the Corporation for improved efficiency in power generation, transmission and distribution including financial management and general administration efficiency.

In response, Devine thanked the LEC MD and his staff – Varmunyah Sherif, Acting Deputy Managing Director for Administration, and Andrew Dean, Acting Deputy Managing Director for Technical Services – for providing what he referred to as detailed information on what is happening in the country’s energy sector. The LEC, Divine said, is faced with numerous challenges in providing electricity to the people of Liberia.