Published: March 20, 2026
MONROVIA — The Managing Director of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), Mohammed M. Sheriff, told the Liberian Senate that the country’s worsening power outages stem largely from reduced electricity imports, legacy debts, and a widening gap between demand and available generation.
Appearing Thursday before the Senate sitting as a Committee of the Whole, Sheriff led a joint appearance alongside officials of the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC), as lawmakers pressed for answers over persistent blackouts affecting Monrovia and parts of the counties.
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In a detailed briefing, Sheriff said Liberia’s electricity demand has surged from 92 megawatts to approximately 142 megawatts within a year, driven by aggressive expansion efforts that connected more than 60,000 new customers, but warned that generation capacity has failed to keep pace.
“Generation is not something you build overnight,” Sheriff told senators. “What we have domestically is less than 100 megawatts available, which creates a significant deficit that must be covered through imports.”
Imports Disrupted, Supply Collapses
Sheriff pointed to disruptions in electricity imports from Côte d’Ivoire as a primary trigger for the current crisis. According to him, Liberia had been receiving up to 50 megawatts from the Ivorian grid before technical failures at key plants in that country slashed available supply.
“When Côte d’Ivoire lost about 200 megawatts from its system, priority shifted internally,” he explained. “Instead of receiving 50 megawatts, we began receiving as little as 10 to 15 megawatts. That immediately affected our ability to meet demand.”
He added that outstanding legacy debts also placed Liberia at a disadvantage in regional power allocation decisions, despite recent efforts by the government to remain current on payments.
The result, Sheriff said, has been a return to widespread load shedding after months of relative stability between June and December last year.
Domestic Constraints and Aging Infrastructure
The LEC managing director acknowledged significant domestic limitations, including reduced output from the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant and underperforming thermal facilities.
Of Mount Coffee’s installed capacity of 88 megawatts, he said only about 57 megawatts is currently available, while thermal plants produce between 12 and 16 megawatts, far below installed levels.
Compounding the problem, he noted, is an aging transmission network that cannot efficiently distribute available power.
“Even when we generate, the system cannot always dispatch effectively because the infrastructure is overstretched,” he said, citing outdated transmission lines and transformers operating beyond capacity.
Expansion Without Generation
Grand Kru County Senator Albert T. Chie questioned the decision to expand connections despite known generation constraints, warning that the policy risks deepening public frustration.
Sheriff defended the move as a “humanitarian decision,” arguing that access to electricity remains a national priority under government policy.
“Each and every Liberian deserves electricity,” he said, noting that national targets require connecting up to 100,000 new users annually.
But lawmakers signaled concern over what one senator described as a “demand surge without supply security,” pressing LEC to better align expansion with generation planning.
Regulator Flags Communication Gaps
For its part, the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission acknowledged the outages but pointed to communication failures by LEC as a key concern.
LERC officials said they had engaged LEC multiple times following reports of outages, but criticized the utility for failing to adequately inform the public during service disruptions.
“When performance drops, the public deserves an explanation,” one senator said, echoing concerns raised during the hearing.
The Commission also outlined ongoing efforts to standardize tariffs across regional electricity providers, including in southeastern Liberia, where disputes over flat-rate billing have triggered consumer complaints.
Long-Term Plans, Immediate Pressure
Sheriff outlined an ambitious plan to increase Liberia’s generation capacity to between 500 and 700 megawatts by 2030 through a mix of hydro, thermal, and solar investments, as well as public-private partnerships.
In the short term, however, he said the government is pursuing a 100-megawatt thermal plant expected to stabilize supply during the dry season.
“We are working around the clock with the Ministry of Finance and other stakeholders,” he said, noting that legislative approval will be required for financing.
He also highlighted efforts to reduce technical and commercial losses, currently estimated at over 40 percent, through a $50 million smart metering program approved by the Legislature.
“We are aware of the challenges,” a member of the Senate’s energy committee said. “But the public must be informed, and the system must be strengthened to prevent recurring crises.”
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