Commissioners visit LEC and TRANSCO-CLSG electricity generation facilities

Two recently appointed members of the Board of Commissioners of the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC), Atty. Kla-Edward Toomey, II and Amara M. Kamara on June 28, toured the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) key electricity generation facilities, the Mount Coffee Hydropower and Bushrod Power Plants. The LERC delegation also visited the TRANSCO CLSG substation at Mount Coffee.

LERC acting Managing Director Engineer Abu Dekontee Sanso explained that the purpose of the visit was two-fold as part of an onboarding exercise to provide an understanding on the electricity sector to the commissioners and the operations of licensed operators.

Engineer Sanso informed the Commissioners that “Mount Coffee Hydropower and the Bushrod Power plants are integral part of the nation’s energy mix” and was important that they have a clear understanding on its operations.

Mr. M. Hady Sheriff Executive Director for Commercial & Regulatory said the tour gives the commissioners firsthand information on the challenges the Corporation faces to meet the growing electricity demand across the country. Mount Coffee has a generating capacity of 88MW and currently only three of four units are operating; however, the LEC management is working to restore the damaged unit, he pinpointed.

Executive Director Sheriff informed the delegation that the Corporation will shortly begin the construction of a 20MW solar photovoltaic plant at Mount Coffee to supplement the already existing generation mix and stressed that this will be very “essential during the dry season”.

At the tour of the TRANSCO CLSG substation at Mount Coffee, Engineer Mohammed Sow, Contracts and Engineering Specialist informed the delegation that CLSG has constructed five substations across Liberia in Nimba, Bong, Grand Bassa and Grand Cape Mount and Montserrado counties and unfortunately one is operational.

TRANSCO CLSG is an interconnector project that has constructed a 1,350 km transmission line allowing power exports from Côte d’Ivoire to Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea; and has 12 substations across these countries, he explained.

Engineer Sow appealed to the Government of Liberia through the Commission to ensure that all the five operational substations within Liberia are used to provide the much-needed electricity across the country.

In separate remarks Commissioners Atty. Toomey, II and Kamara lauded the efforts of LEC and TRANSCO CLSG investment but pinpointed that there remains a lot to be achieved to have an efficient and reliable electricity sector in Liberia.

“We pledged to work together with the Government of Liberia, stakeholders and licensed operators to build a vibrant electricity sector,” Commissioner Atty. Toomey, II asserted.

While Commissioner Kamara pledged LERC's unreserved commitment to effectively execute its mandate so that it can contribute to the achievement of the Government of Liberia’s goals to ensure access to reliable and affordable electricity.

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