By Amos Harris |
The management of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) has disclosed that three hundred thousand meters will soon arrived in the country to ensure that customers get the needed services in the country.
Speaking to a team of journalists over the weekend in Monrovia, the Executive Director for the Commercial and Regulatory Division at the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) M. Hady Sherif, disclosed that LEC goal is to ensure stable and accessible electricity service delivery to its valued customers.
Mr. Sherif further disclosed the corporation is committed to provide measures that will enhance the reliability of power supply, especially during these challenging periods like the dry season, stressing that the LEC will ensure a stable and accessible electricity supply, even in the face of potential challenges in power theft in the country.
He further disclosed that Corporation remains committed to ensure that effective and efficient power distribution service delivery to its customers, LEC mandates to produce and supply affordable, efficient and reliable electric power to the entire nation.
According to him, the corporation financial viability while improving and expanding the network to meet the future demand for electric energy in Liberia improving socio-economic development of the Nation, “The management goal is to ensure stable and accessible electricity service delivery to valued customers/
The LEC celebrated its fifty years of service to the people of Liberia last year with a major achievement with a stable electricity in Country, noting that during the Covid-19 electricity was stable and we will continue work in the interest of the Liberians people.
LEC suffered a major setback during Liberia’s civil unrest, the Hydro power Plant, was destroyed over the years with the support of the Government of Liberia and its Donor, international partners, LEC continues its rebuilding efforts and carries out its mandate.
Also speaking to a team of journalists over the weekend in various communities, Samuel Johnson, a businessman who owns an internment center in west point said that power theft is on the increase on a daily basis.
Mr. Johnson alleged that most households in West Point are engaged in power theft, he further said that people who were trained by LEC are the want who are mainly involved in the power theft in the community.
According to him, some Liberians can appreciate LEC has reduce the tariff on the uses of electricity, but people are still stealing from the corporation,
“We are appealing to the LEC management team to reinforce the Anti-power theft unit to minimize power theft”.
At the time, the media also spoke with a businesswoman on the use of electricity as a business woman, she said electricity is helping her to dry fish, noting that she is no longer using fire woods to dry fish.
She further told journalists that collectively we can cut down power theft and raise more revenue that will benefit the country and not individuals or individuals”.
“She also advises community leaders to protect the transformers from over-loading from power theft, when you curtail power theft, you will raise more revenues for government” , she said
The fight against Power theft should be everyone’s business, it should be engaged collectively by all Liberians, and should not be left with the LEC alone.
“We also during our fact check showed that Power theft and political interference remained the greatest threats to solvency and sustainability of the Liberia Electricity Corporation. We have lost $271.9 million from 2015 to 2021, including $15.9 million in unpaid bills, $204 million in commercial losses, and $51.9 million in technical losses. More generated power has meant greater losses”, she told reporters.
Speaking further, the LEC official disclosed, “ We were able to travel to a few counties across Liberia, to observe the network of LEC, including Grand Cape Mount, Bomi, Montserrado, Maryland and Grand Gedeh counties. LEC has also increased its customer base from thirty-five thousand (35,000) customers in 1989 to over two hundred thousand (200,000) customers in 2023 through donor funded projects and LEC connections”.
