Monrovia – With the ongoing work on the Mount Coffee Hydro plant almost at the completion stage, Lands, Mines and Energy Minister Patrick Sendolo says contractors at the site are facing a challenge from inhabitants around the construction site. He said the inhabitants are claiming the land around the power plant.
“The biggest challenge we have right now in respect of developing the sector is no longer the money that we need,” he says.
“It’s no longer the technical expertise, it’s no longer connecting people, and it’s no longer maintaining the generator. The challenge is the cooperation from ordinary Liberians.
Addressing the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism press briefing, Minister Sendolo said they have lost significant amount of time on the Mount Coffee project.
“Why? Because, we have people along the corridor that are stopping contractors from carrying on their work. I will welcome and encourage all of us, every Liberian concerned to do all they can so that we can all make our small bit of sacrifice.”
“The President has made it possible through her vision that electricity will come. However, we cannot afford for our own people to constitute impediment”, he said.
Robbing LEC of Revenue
The Minister said power theft is a serious issue as it continues to rob the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) of needed revenue.
“We have unprecedented level of power theft in this country. We are connecting people but what people are doing now is they are taking the electricity that LEC is connecting them with, diverting it and selling it onward therefore robbing LEC of revenue to upgrade the system”, the Minister stated.
Minister Sendolo noted that under the new electricity law, there are strong provisions to deal with power theft. He also called on the general public to cooperate and support the LEC in curtailing such act.
“There are strong provisions on how we deal with electricity theft and we will enforce that law to the letter. But beyond everything else, we request your kind cooperation and support in respect to not stealing electricity which of course it also very dangerous,” Minister Sendolo asserted.
He added: “LEC is working on the sensitization program where we will reach out to the communities through radio advertisement to let people know.”
J.H. Webster Clayeh – [email protected]