Liberia: Sen. Bartekwa Pushes LEC, Lerc to Cut Power Tariff for Businesses

28 November 2025
The Liberian Investigator (Monrovia)
By Blamo N. Toe

Grand Kru County Senator Numene T. H. Bartekwa is urging the Liberian Senate to intervene swiftly by engaging the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) and the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC) to reduce the cost of electricity for industries and major businesses from 20 cents to 15 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Bartekwa, who chairs the Senate Committee on Concessions and Investment, said the reduction is necessary to ease the financial burden on businesses and stimulate economic growth.

Speaking at a press conference Thursday, November 27, in his Capitol Building office, Bartekwa said many industries avoid using the LEC grid due to its cost, opting instead for private generators despite the higher operational expenses.

"These businesses are not using the LEC grid because of its high cost, according to my information," Bartekwa stated.

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He outlined Liberia's current power capacity, estimating it at roughly 214 megawatts:

Mount Coffee Hydro (88 MW), HFO generation on Bushrod Island (38 MW), cross-border supply from Ivory Coast (8 MW), CSLG/TRANSCO transmission (50 MW), and support from Guinea (30 MW).

Bartekwa said the government's 2030 target is 450 MW, and achieving that milestone requires pulling major industries into the national grid through cost incentives that encourage expansion and increase national revenue.

Bartekwa told the Senate leadership that many businesses want to expand but are held back by unaffordable energy costs.

"As a result, the government is losing huge domestic revenue that would have been generated, as well as employment opportunities that would have come through expansion," he said. "This situation is one of the key factors undermining the growth and development of Liberia's economy."

He compared Liberia's electricity rates to regional competitors, noting Ghana charges about 4 cents and Côte d'Ivoire 5 cents per kilowatt-hour--rates that he said support booming industrial sectors.

Bartekwa appealed to the Senate to engage LEC and LERC without delay.

"Considering the vital role electricity plays in every business, I humbly request the quick intervention of the plenary to engage these institutions for the reduction of the cost per kilowatt," he said, adding that such a move would attract more industrial users, create jobs, and boost domestic revenue.

The communication was forwarded to the Senate Committee on Autonomous Agencies for review and a subsequent report to plenary.

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