Power Africa has supported the development of 89 megawatts (MW) of electricity generation projects in Liberia. In addition, various firms have received U.S. Embassy support to move transactions forward. The page below gives an overview of the energy sector in Liberia, and lists Power Africa’s financially closed transactions in the country, some of which are already online and generating critical electricity supply for the people of Liberia.

LIBERIA ENERGY SECTOR OVERVIEW

Population: 4.82 million | GDP (1): $3.26 billion

The Government of Liberia is working closely with development partners to undertake ambitious measures to rebuild its electricity infrastructure. Liberia’s civil war, which ended in 2003, destroyed much of the country’s power sector. In the capital city of Monrovia, less than 20% of the population has access to electricity. By 2030, the Government of Liberia aims to meet an anticipated peak demand of 300 MW and serve 1 million customers, connecting 70% of the population in Monrovia and providing access to 35% of the rest of Liberia. 

The key government partners in the energy sector includes the Ministry of Mines and Energy which provides policy oversight to the sector; the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission, which provides regulatory support in the sector; the Liberia Electricity Corporation which is the national utility and the Rural and Renewable Energy Agency with the mandate to rural electrification expansion mandate. The framework for private sector participation is well advanced pending the publication of sector (publication pending) regulations required under the 2015 Electricity Law. 

POWER AFRICA SUCCESS STORIES IN LIBERIA

Power Africa Awards Grants to Scale Solar-Powered Productive Uses of Energy in Liberia

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Power Africa, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded grants totaling $669,330 to five solar energy companies operating in Liberia. This funding will assist the grantees to distribute solar-powered productive use of energy (PUE) technologies that let users harvest, process, and preserve agricultural produce and fish, or power small businesses. READ more on our blog

POWER AFRICA FINANCIALLY CLOSED TRANSACTIONS IN LIBERIA

Updated: May 03, 2019

Mein River (Hydro – 1MW)

Financial Close Date: 02/17/2016
Commercial Operations Date: 02/17/2018
Estimated Project Cost: $10.3M
Overview: The Mein River Hydro Project was initiated under the Liberia Energy Sector Support Program (LESSP) by USAID. The construction of 1 MW Hydro power station on the Mein River in Suakoko District was developed to benefit several community entities in the area; including, the Phebe Medical Hospital, Cuttington University and Central Agriculture Research Institute. An estimated 2,500 residential and 150 commercial consumers stand to receive access to power through the Mein River project. A US Company, NRECA International provided technical support to the project.

Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant Project (Hydro – 88MW)

Financial Close Date: 01/20/2016
Commercial Operations Date: 01/09/2017
Estimated Project Cost: $356.7M
Overview: Mount Coffee was funded to a large extent by the US Government's Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) with US $125 million in construction and operation financing. Additional support was provided by the Government of Liberia, Germany’s KfW, the European Investment Bank, and Power Africa partner Government of Norway. In a country with a current access rate of 12 percent, the power generated from Mount Coffee will dramatically improve connection rates in the capital city of Monrovia.

Sources

1. https://data.worldbank.org/country/liberia
2. https://www.africa-energy.com/database/datatool
3. https://www.iea.org/reports/sdg7-data-and-projections/access-to-electricity