Monrovia – The challenges facing the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) may soon lead it to be managed by an electricity sector regulator—the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC).
The LERC is now in the position to take over this sector of the country.
An Act to regulate electricity was passed into law by the Legislature in October 2015 and chapter 13 of that law gives birth to LERC. The Commission is mandated to regulate all electricity matters in Liberia.
Speaking at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism’s (MICAT) regular press briefing, the Director General of the LERC, Augustus V. Goanue, stated that even though his institution seems to have been dormant, it has been working on strategies and policies in helping to boost the energy sector.
“So the LERC has not only being sitting there; we have been working very hard to make sure that the issue of sustainable, affordable, reliable and accessible electricity is provided in this country so that it can help to bring economic development,” he added.
The Commission will be responsible to regulate operators for usage of appropriate standards of material, setting and approving tariffs, resolving disputes among others.
According to Goanue, the electricity law requires that all operators are licensed to be able to operate; adding: “We have to issue licenses to all operators, whether you are into distribution, transmission, generation or training, you have to have a license.”
The LERC is being supported financially by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) through the Millennium Challenge Account of Liberia (MCAL). The Europeans are also providing technical assistant to the Commission as well.
Goanue further said that over the past six to seven months, the LERC, along with its partners, has developed regulatory instruments, which will allow the Commission to carry out its mandate. Some of those instruments include the Licensing Regulation, the micro utility regulator (small operators), the licensing hand book and the Administrative procedure regulation among others.
The LERC boss stated that those running electricity in communities will also be their target, as it relates to training and building of capacity.
“These are all operators; how can we build their capacity or train them to be a help to the service provision so that we can increase access,” he added.
He also disclosed that his entity will commence the validation of key regulations of the sector beginning early next week.
Meanwhile, the head of Legal, Licensing and Public Affairs at the LERC, Cllr. Minnie Paegar-Kallon disclosed that the electricity regulator will organize a validation workshop on Wednesday, October 30, at the Bella Casa hotel in Monrovia.
The workshop is expected to bring together different stakeholders in soliciting their views on the different regulatory instruments and it will also be creating awareness around the work done by the LERC.
“We will be updating them on the progress we have made so far and we will also use that opportunity to build a relationship with the stakeholders among others,” she said.
Those to be in attendance are the LEC, the private sector, the donor community, development partners among others.
Their goal is that by 2030 there should be 35% access to electricity in the entire country and 70% access in greater Monrovia.
Through the help of the MCAL, the LERC will also have an information management system, which will enable them to monitor consumption and operation of licensed operators.
Chapter 13, section 13.1 of the 2015 Electricity Act states: “There is hereby authorized to be created within the Ministry with effect not later than two years after the effective date of this law the independent Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC). The LERC shall be created in the Ministry not later than one year after the effective date of this law and a transition of functions to the LERC shall be completed within one year after the LERC shall have been created.”