The World Bank, recognizing the need for improvement in the energy sector, has accepted government’s request to finance the installation of additional megawatts in Monrovia, meant to reduce tariffs on electricity nearly by half.

In agreement with government’s request to improve electricity in Monrovia, the World Bank will install “10 megawatts heavy fuel oil generation that should help reduce electricity tariffs to by 25-40%, according to Dr. Ohene Owusu Nyanin, outgoing World Bank Country Manager for Liberia.

Themed  “Options for the Development of Liberia’s Energy Sector”, the report contains technical and strategic options for the development of Liberia’s energy sector as well as identifies optimal development pathways that will produce concrete and visible results.

It further examines various options in Liberia for power supply including the Mount Coffee hydro plant on the St. Paul River, heavy fuel oil generation and renewable energy, while assessing the average energy consumed by each household and businesses will help the Bank to forecast national energy needs for the next 30 years.

The report says combining the supply and demand sides of the energy sector will help the government to identify the best combination of technologies and approaches to use in providing electricity for more people.

Users of electricity under the Emergency Power Program (EPP) partnership with government complain of high electricity tariffs, but Dr. Nyanin says: Liberia, with possibly the lowest rate of access to public electricity in the world, has one of the highest electricity tariffs.

Outgoing Minister of Lands, Mines and Energy, Roosevelt Jayjay urged Liberians to be patient while government does everything to expand electricity coverage in the country.