Evaluation of the Liberia Compact’s Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant Rehabilitation and Capacity Building and Sector Reform
Findings from the Final Round
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Key Findings
- Customer connections grew quickly as the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant and donor-funded distribution projects were completed. However, plant sustainability is jeopardized by inadequate funding for operations and maintenance.
- Despite challenges, the management services contractor, which the firm hired to support the utility, increased connections, reduced outages, and improved management practices.
- Power theft remains high and threatens sustainability. The utility requires investments in meters and the low voltage network to meet customer demand.
- The Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission has developed a regulatory framework for electricity generation, transmission, distribution, and sales. However, the regulator approved a tariff that is too low to cover costs, private operators are unlicensed, and its independence is threatened without adequate income.
MCC’s $238 million Liberia Compact (2016-2021) aimed to encourage economic growth and reduce poverty by providing access to more reliable and affordable electricity. The compact funded the $207 million Energy Sector Project, which included rehabilitating the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant to generate 75 megawatts of low-cost renewable energy. Activities also included supporting the management services contract to strengthen the Liberia Electricity Corporation’s management and operations capacity, and establishing an independent regulator to accelerate private sector investment in the energy sector. Mathematica conducted a performance evaluation to assess project implementation and outcomes. In this report, Mathematica researchers present the final results of the evaluation, drawing on program documentation; household and business survey data; interviews with households, businesses, public service providers, community leaders, and energy sector stakeholders; and site visits.
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