MONROVIA, LIBERIA – As Monie R. Captan nears the end of his tenure as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), his time at the helm has been marked by both achievements and challenges. Appointed in July 2022, Captan inherited a corporation burdened with inefficiencies, outdated infrastructure, and a dependence on external resources. While LEC has seen progress in energy supply, reducing commercial losses, and expanding its customer base, the company still faces significant obstacles regarding financial sustainability, government debt, and the need for further infrastructure upgrades. During a press conference on November 27, 2024, Captan highlighted the progress made under his leadership while acknowledging the unresolved issues that continue to affect the energy sector in Liberia.
When Captan took over the role, LEC was facing an unreliable power grid and limited generation capacity. The Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant, which is a key energy source, was operating far below its potential, and the Bushrod thermal power plants were largely inoperative. Captan prioritized restoring the thermal generators, investing over $2 million to bring them back online, which added 28 megawatts (MW) to the grid and significantly improved energy availability. In addition, Captan secured a Power Purchase Agreement with Côte d’Ivoire’s CIE/CI Energies, allowing Liberia to import up to 27 MW of electricity, especially during the dry season when hydropower generation is limited. These efforts helped increase Liberia’s total energy capacity from 56 MW in 2022 to 107 MW by mid-2023, providing a more reliable energy supply.
However, despite these improvements, Captan admitted that LEC’s financial health remained a significant challenge. A key issue was the high level of commercial losses, which had reached 41.3% when Captan assumed leadership. This meant a considerable portion of the electricity produced was either lost due to inefficiencies or stolen. Through measures such as establishing an Anti-Power Theft Task Force, improving metering systems, and conducting more customer audits, LEC was able to reduce these losses to 31.4% by 2023, and further to 27.5% by October 2024. This reduction in losses resulted in increased revenues, from $24 million in 2022 to $54.66 million in 2023, with an anticipated $68 million by the end of 2024. Despite this revenue growth, LEC continues to operate at a loss, with net losses reducing from $27.2 million in 2022 to a projected $11 million by the end of 2024.
Government debt has also been a major issue under Captan’s leadership. As of October 2024, the Liberian government owed nearly $19 million in unpaid electricity bills, making it the largest consumer of electricity in the country, accounting for about 14% of total power consumption. Captan expressed concern over this outstanding debt and emphasized the government’s responsibility to meet its energy obligations. To address this issue, he announced plans for the government to transition to prepayment metering in 2025, aimed at ensuring timely payments and reducing arrears. However, this plan has yet to be implemented, and it remains uncertain whether the government will fulfill its financial obligations to LEC.
One of Captan’s notable successes was the expansion of electricity access to underserved areas. Under his leadership, LEC launched the Gap Communities Electrification Project, which successfully connected more than 9,000 households in 19 communities to the national grid. This project, funded by LEC’s own revenue, cost $5.2 million and served as a significant step in extending electricity to rural areas that had long been without power. This electrification project is seen as a major contributor to local economic development, offering greater opportunities for businesses, schools, and healthcare facilities.
Captan’s leadership also brought improvements to network reliability. When he began his tenure in 2022, LEC faced frequent and prolonged power outages, with an average of 22 interruptions per year and average outage durations exceeding 30 hours. By the end of 2024, Captan’s administration had reduced the frequency of interruptions to five per year and decreased average outage durations from 31 hours to less than nine hours. These improvements were made possible through strategic infrastructure investments, including the construction of three new substations in Congo Town, Roberts International Airport (RIA), and Schieffelin, expanding electricity coverage to previously underserved areas like Cotton Tree and Dolos Town.
Despite these successes, Captan has faced criticism from various sectors. Environmentalists and energy experts have raised concerns about Liberia’s reliance on thermal energy, which is costly and unsustainable in the long term. The high operational costs and vulnerability to fluctuations in global energy prices, especially during the dry season, are a significant challenge for LEC. Captan’s plans to diversify energy sources have been met with cautious optimism. In 2025, LEC is set to begin the construction of a 20 MW solar power plant at the Mt. Coffee site, as part of a broader strategy to transition to renewable energy. There are also plans for a new hydroelectric dam along the St. Paul River, which would increase Liberia’s installed energy capacity by more than 400 MW.
However, there are questions about whether these projects will be sufficient to meet Liberia’s growing energy demands. As the country’s industrial and manufacturing sectors expand, energy needs are expected to increase significantly. While Captan’s administration succeeded in increasing the country’s energy supply by nearly 89% over the past two years, the sustainability of this expansion remains uncertain.
As Captan prepares to step down on November 30, 2024, his legacy is likely to be characterized by both progress and unresolved challenges. Although there have been notable improvements in energy availability and reliability, the financial health of LEC remains fragile, and the corporation’s reliance on external energy imports continues to expose it to economic risks. The next CEO will face the difficult task of ensuring the corporation’s financial stability, tackling energy access issues, and continuing the transition to cleaner and more affordable energy sources. Ongoing audits, including an investigation by the General Auditing Commission (GAC) and a review by PricewaterhouseCoopers, will provide further insight into the effectiveness of Captan’s leadership and the financial practices at LEC.
In his final comments, Captan expressed pride in the achievements made during his tenure, acknowledging that these successes were the result of collective efforts. He also called for continued reforms and investments in the energy sector to build on the progress made and address remaining challenges. As LEC prepares for a leadership transition, stakeholders, both in Liberia and internationally, will be closely monitoring whether the momentum created during Captan’s time at the helm will continue.
