PHOTO: LEC Communication Manager Philip Farley, speaking at the lecture forum
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The Liberia Electricity Corporation has begun creating awareness on its challenges, short, medium, and long time plans aimed at providing electricity to the 280,000 customers and extending services to other areas.
LEC Communication Manager, Philip Farley, disclosed that the management has secured 96 million United States Dollars from the World Bank for the construction of a solar plant.
Speaking when he appeared as a guest at the National Polit Bureau of Liberia in Clara Town, Mr. Farley explained that the construction of the solar power plant will take about 15 months
Mr. Farley added that the LEC has also secured 300 million United States Dollars also from the World Bank for the construction of a mix hydro value at 500 million United States Dollars that will power both solar and hydro in the dry and raining seasons .
“As for the hydro plant will take between five to six to be completed and it will supply electricity using the hydro during the raining season and use the solar plant during the dry season”
According to him, the LEC has been licensed and is providing electricity to 280,000 customers in Monserrado, Margibi, Bomi and Grand Cape Mount Counties; but it is losing 45 percent of its profit to power theft.
He explained that the Monie Captan leadership took over the LEC, his management inherited huge arrears at ECO Bank, 12 months arrears for employees and contractors and all of these have paid by the current administration.
“Secondly,” he went on,” all four power plant generators were broken down; but we speak, all the generators are working and supplying electricity to the populace.”
The LEC Communication Manager made it abundantly clear that each of the four generators consume 1,500 gallons of fuel in an hour and this is costing the corporation a huige sum of money daily
Mr, Farley added that the LEC has already made arrangement for the importation of over 300,000 meters and the first 100,000 meters are expected in fw months.
Commenting on damaged transmitters, he said before any replacement of transmitter is done, the LEC will assess how many customers connected to it, detect all illegal connections and disconnect all illegal customers because transmitter is very costly.