Monrovia – The Government of Japan through the Japan Corporation Agency (JICA) has officially announced the completion of a Japan-funded 10MW Power plant project in Liberia. The plant is expected to be turned over in September later this year.
Report by Edwin G. Genoway, Jr – [email protected]
The disclosure was made on Monday when a JICA delegation from the Japanese Embassy in Ghana headed by the Embassy Press Secretary, Mr. Masa Iida, toured Japanese funded projects in Liberia. The 10mw power plant project started two years ago.
The power plant, when completed and turned over to the LEC will boost the energy sector by increasing customers, dropping tariff on electricity in the country. The head of JICA field office in Liberia, Shigeki Namba, said the lifespan of the plant is for 25 years.
He disclosed that a fuel house which will supply the power plant that consumes about seven hundred liters (700) of fuel is also being constructed alongside it.
“This project started two years ago and we are nearing completion, we will officially complete and turn over this project in September this year,” he explained.
The delegation also visited the reconstruction of the Somalia Drive Road in Monrovia, and the project for the rehabilitation of Monrovia Power system which was suspended due to Ebola outbreak in Liberia.
Mr. Namba noted that upon completion and turning over of the project, the LEC will carry on maintenance of the power plant in the absence of Japanese engineers.
LEC Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Joseph T. Mayah, said people have been trained to manage the plant, saying, the LEC will manage the plant in the absence of their Japanese engineers.
He said the equipment being used by the Japanese is durable. “There is no problem with the equipment, they are durable and will last long, and our engineers have been trained to manage these equipment.
Another thing I want to make clear is that we received US$27million grant from the Japanese government, we are appreciative to the government of Japan for that grant we benefiting here,” he noted.
Deputy Director Mayah noted that the 10mw power plant is a great boost to the LEC, saying it will increase power in the country and more citizens will benefit from the plant.
He thanked the Government of Japan for the continual assistance to Liberia, mainly in the energy and construction sectors.
The delegation also visited the Somalia Drive road construction where it was announced that the pavement of the road will also start during the upcoming dry season.
The engineer doing the Somalia Drive Road told the JICA delegation that the road pavements will begin this year dry season.
The Deputy Director of Project Development Department, Youchi Okamoto, noted that phase one of the project is the Stanton Creek Bridge which is already in progress.
Mr. Okamoto noted that his company is doing the first two lane road and afterward do the next two lanes to compete the four lanes. He noted that the entire project for the road cost US$40Million.