MONROVIA – The Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) has rubbished numerous reports in the media claiming that power imported by LEC from La Cote d’Ivoire through the CLSG has been cut off. The Corporation says these reports are all false and misleading, and added that the LEC continues to receive power from La Cote d’Ivoire through the CLSG at the contracted capacity of 27MW. The contracted capacity is the amount of energy – CI Energies agreed to supply LEC under the Power Purchase Agreement.
A Press release issued in Monrovia indicates that LEC has informed the public on several occasions that the contracted capacity from CI Energies will not meet LEC’s peak demand, which currently exceeds 70MW.
Peak demands, the release indicated, are periods when the highest energy consumption is experienced; and in the case of Liberia, it lasts from 6am to 9am and 6pm to 11pm, adding that during off-peak periods, LEC can meet the energy demand.
To mitigate the gap created during the peak period, LEC generates additional power though its thermal and hydropower plants. The additional power generated by LEC is approximately 47MW, which provides a combined capacity with CLSG of 74MW, the release noted.
However, due to the exceedingly high cost of fuel, LEC said it has limited the use of its thermal plants to produce more cost reflective energy.
“The resultant gap, which is minimum, is mitigated through load shedding. In the coming rainy season, LEC will not need the full contracted capacity from CI Energies. LEC has already booked 50MW capacity for 2024 from CI Energies in anticipation of growth in demand, while at the same time deploying 35MW of solar energy,” the corporation explained.
The Liberia Electricity Corporation assures its customers that it will continue to provide reliable electricity despite its current challenges, adding that as promised and can easily be observed, LEC continues to fulfill its promise of more reliable electricity than what was experienced during last year’s dry season.
The corporation concluded in its release as saying that it is collaborating assiduously with key stakeholders and partners to put into place strategic plans to improve the electricity sector as we strive to increase national access to electricity.