‘’𝑳𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝑬𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑳𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒂'𝒔 𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 (𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑷𝑰𝑻𝑬)’’

 

𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐚, 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚 – 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟑𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒: The Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) is pleased to announce the signing of a contract for the design, supply, installation, and commissioning of Liberia's first Solar Plant under the Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention Project (RESPITE). The contract, valued at $16 million, was signed between the LEC and the International Consolidated Contractors Offshore SAL. The renewable energy project will deliver an installed capacity of 20MWp and will be located at the Mt. Coffee Hydro facility in Harrisburg, Montserrado County.

 

The signing ceremony was attended by representatives from the World Bank Liberia Country Office, the RESPITE Regional Coordination Unit (RCU), the Chairman of the Board of LEC, and officials from the contracting company. Francis N. Kyere, RCU Project Coordinator, emphasized the importance of adherence to quality standards by the contractors to ensure the project meets its intended purpose. Mohammed Saqib, Senior Energy Specialist at the World Bank, highlighted the urgency of the project, stressing its critical role in power generation during the dry season.

 

Mr. Monie Captan, Chief Executive Officer of LEC, said that the solar project is a historical milestone since it will be Liberia’s first ever utility-scale solar project undertaken in the country. This renewable energy source will complement the Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant, especially during the dry season when water inflows from the St. Paul are at their lowest, which significantly reduces power output. This project is expected to be completed within a year. 

 

Mr. Captan emphasized that while the project will not fully resolve the energy gap in the country, it will significantly increase energy generation capacity thus improving electricity supply. He further noted that the solar project marks a significant step in the country's energy transition to incorporate more renewable energy. 

 

Additionally, he announced ongoing procurement under RESPITE to expand the Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant by more than 50% of its current capacity. Mr. Captan informed that LEC is working with development partners, especially the World Bank, on developing a new hydropower plant, St. Paul 2 (SP2), upstream of the St. Paul River. This plant is expected to produce between 150-200MW and will be a hybrid project comprising both hydro and solar generation. Feasibility studies for the new hydro will be completed by the end of 2024.

 

Moreover, Mr. Captan mentioned ongoing negotiations for an additional 16.5MWp solar plant, under the RELEASE Project in collaboration with SCATEC and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The plant will be located in Scheifflin near the LEC substation. In his closing remarks, Mr. Captan extended his gratitude to the World Bank, the RCU, the Project Implementation Unit, the Board of Directors, and the LEC COO. He expressed his satisfaction with the recruitment of young Liberian engineers with skills in solar, hydropower, environmental and social protection, who have been assigned to the project. He emphasized that these young Liberian engineers will develop experience while working on this project (both the solar and hydro expansion) and form the core team of future Liberian engineers that will play an important role in LEC’s energy transition and the sustainability of the company’s generation assets. 

 

Mr. Ihab Serhal, Chief Executive Officer, International Consolidated Contractors Offshore, a global engineering and industrial energy company, expressed gratitude for being selected for this project. He reaffirmed the company's commitment to ensuring quality and competence, building on their experience working in other African countries, and in Liberia on health and educational construction projects funded by the World Bank. 

 

𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑰𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝑨𝒇𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒔 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕.

 

Signed: 

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, (𝐋𝐄𝐂)