BoC issues several directives to LIBENERGY

The Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC) has issued several regulatory directives to LIBENERGY in keeping with the 2015 Electricity Law of Liberia (ELL), regulatory instruments and its license terms and conditions to address the general decline in the quality-of-service delivery, including increasing power outages across its service areas in River Gee, Grand Gedeh, Maryland and parts of Nimba counties.

The decisions were reached following a meeting held recently with the senior management team of LIBENERGY at the headquarters of the Commission.

Speaking at a press conference on 19 June at the Commission’s headquarters the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Dr. Lawrence D. Sekajipo said amongst key directives issued to LIBENERGY included:

LIBENERGY to present to the Commission a comprehensive “smart plan” within 10 working days on how it will address technical issues and recommendations contained in a technical inspection report conducted by the Commission.
LIBENERGY to submit documentation for the commencement of its tariff application process by the end of 31^st July 2024 and denied its earlier request for an extension of the end-user tariff application.

 LIBENERGY immediately begins the metering of customers within its service areas. Its failure to meter customers is in violation of the Customer Service and Quality of Supply Regulations which mandates that a customer cannot be unmetered for more than six months.

LIBENERGY restores electricity to the Deanna Kay Isaacson School of Midwifery in Zwedru City, Grand Gedeh County.

In April 2024, the Technical Regulations Directorate conducted a month-long inspection in LIBENERGY’s service areas to ensure it maintains its distribution network in accordance with good utility practice and performance standards to guarantee reliability and quality of electricity service, on both a short-term and long-term basis.

It can be recalled that in December 2023, the Commission issued a five-year Large Micro Utility Distribution License to LIBENERGY to operate in River Gee, Grand Gedeh, Maryland and parts of Nimba Counties.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sekajipo has clarified that fixed charges collected by LEC have been used by LEC to extend electricity to 13 gap communities in Monrovia and reinforce the low voltage and medium voltage networks, including the installation of transformers, poles and streetlights.

He said this has significantly contributed to the provision of electricity to gap communities, which are usually outside of areas covered by donor funded electrification projects.