Gov’t begins US$40m electricity project

The Government of Liberia through the National Authorizing Office, Ministry of Finance & Development Planning has kicked off a contract to put up additional transmissions and distribution lines intended to absorb more electricity to Monrovia from the Mount Coffee Hydro Dam.

According to the MFDP, the kick-off took place on Monday, 31 July during a meeting of key stakeholders involved in the energy sector at the National Authorizing Office (NAO) on the Executive Mansion Grounds, Capitol Hill in Monrovia.

Stakeholders in attendance included the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy, Liberia Electricity Corporation, and the Rural & Renewable Energy Agency. Others were the European Union Delegation to Liberia, ELTEL – the Swedish company contracted to implement the project and Intec Gopa, the engineering firm which will supervise the project, and contracting authority, the National Authorizing Office.

The new project titled: “Monrovia Consolidation of Electricity Transmission and Distribution” is being funded under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) in the amount of EUR 35.5 million or an equivalent of about US$40 million.

Of this amount, EUR 34 million will be spent on engineering works while EUR 1.5 million will go towards monitoring and evaluation activities. If completed, the new project will strengthen the transmission and distribution capacities through the extension works of the network in and around Monrovia. The project will connect 37,000 customers including small and large consumers.

Among others, the EU is intervening with funding to help improve the environmental and socio-economic conditions of the people of Liberia in line with the Government of Liberia’s objective to increase access to renewable energy services and to sustainable and affordable power.

In collaboration with the European Union, the NAO will monitor the two-year project as part of its mandate to program, coordinate, manage and oversee all EU-funded projects in Liberia.

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