Published: April 8, 2026
MONROVIA – The Managing Director of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), Mohammed M. Sheriff, has raised alarm over a widening gap between electricity demand and supply in Liberia, warning that the country’s rapid expansion in access is now straining an already limited generation capacity.
Speaking Tuesday at the Ministry of Information, Mr. Sheriff made it clear that the central issue confronting the power sector is not just access, but the inability of generation to keep pace with growing demand. “Your demand is increasing, but your generation remains flat,” he said. According to him, Liberia’s electricity demand has surged to approximately 143 megawatts, driven by aggressive connection of new customers and expansion into previously underserved communities. However, available generation has remained largely unchanged, creating persistent supply shortfalls. “All these interventions have led to a significant increase in our demand,” Mr. Sheriff noted.
He explained that while LEC has made notable gains in expanding access, from 32% to 38% within a year, the success has come with unintended pressure on the system. “When people build confidence in the system, they connect, and that drives demand upward,” he stated. The LEC boss noted that current domestic generation remains constrained, with Mount Coffee and thermal plants unable to meet the rising demand of the population. “Even if the rain falls heavily, Mount Coffee can only give you about 57 megawatts,” he said.
As a result, Liberia has increasingly relied on electricity imports from neighboring countries through the regional power pool. Mr. Sheriff emphasized that this dependency is not by choice but necessity. “In the absence of equivalent generation to meet our demand, we have no other option but to depend on regional imports,” he stated. However, he warned that regional supply is also under pressure, as countries such as Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea prioritize domestic needs amid declining hydroelectric output. “These countries first need to feed their own people before exporting power,” Mr. Sheriff noted.
The imbalance between demand and supply has led to load shedding across parts of the country, a situation he described as unavoidable under current conditions. “Until we can have domestic generation equal to or more than our demand, we will still have load shedding,” he asserted. Mr. Sheriff dismissed public misconceptions that power shortages are solely due to rainfall or technical failures. Instead, he stressed that the issue is structural and tied to long-term generation deficits. “The rain can help, but it is not the solution,” he said.
He further explained that building utility-scale power plants is a time-consuming process, often taking years due to manufacturing delays and global demand for energy infrastructure. “You don’t just go and buy it like a generator—it requires planning and long lead times,” he noted. Despite the challenges, the LEC Managing Director highlighted ongoing efforts to bridge the gap, including plans to introduce additional thermal generation in the short term. “We are trying to quickly address that by bringing in thermal plants,” he stated.
He also referenced the government’s long-term vision under Joseph Nyuma Boakai to scale national generation capacity to 700 megawatts by 2030. “We are moving aggressively across short, medium, and long-term plans to meet this objective,” Mr. Sheriff said.
In the meantime, he assured the public that LEC is working to optimize available supply, prioritizing critical areas while gradually expanding distribution. “We are managing what we have while preparing for what is coming,” he noted. Mr. Sheriff acknowledged public frustration over inconsistent electricity but urged citizens to understand the broader context of the crisis.
“We hear you, we feel your pain… but this is a challenge the entire region is facing,” he stated. He concluded by emphasizing that solving Liberia’s power crisis will require sustained investment in domestic generation and collective national effort. “The only lasting solution is to build our own capacity to meet demand,” the LEC boss told the press briefing.
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