Description
Project Name: Mount Coffee
Project Owner: Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC)
Standard: GCC
Project ID: 1346
Located along the Saint Paul River, just 30 km northeast of Monrovia (capital city), the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant stands as a beacon of resilience and renewal for Liberia. First commissioned in 1967 with a capacity of 34 MW, and expanded to 64 MW by 1973, it was once the nation’s largest power producer, fueling economic promise in the 1960s. Devastated during Liberia’s civil war (1989–2003), the plant lay dormant, until a rehabilitation project, launched in 2012, brought it roaring back to life.
Completed in July 2018 after a multi million dollar transformation, Mount Coffee now boasts an upgraded capacity of 88 MW, delivered through four 22 MW turbine-generator units. The first turbine hummed to life in December 2016, celebrated by then-President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as a milestone for Liberia’s future. By preserving the plant’s robust 60-year-old structure while integrating cutting-edge automation, digital controllers, and hydraulic systems, the project marries heritage with innovation. This eco-conscious overhaul minimizes environmental disruption while delivering 230 GWh annually, enough to power and light up Monrovia’s economic hub.
In a country where 95% of the population lacks reliable electricity and where thermal plants dominate, this hydropower giant slashes reliance on costly diesel, and has quadrupled Liberia’s grid capacity. It’s now a cornerstone of the CLSG grid (Côte d’Ivoire-Liberia-Sierra Leone-Guinea), enabling power exports to West Africa.
The Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), a public utility founded in 1973, drives this transformation with a mission to deliver affordable, sustainable electricity nationwide. Since 2006, LEC has tirelessly rebuilt the war-ravaged grid, and Mount Coffee is its crown jewel. The project created 1,200 jobs during rehabilitation, trained 23 local technicians, and upgraded community infrastructure, from health clinics to water pumps. Looking ahead, LEC envisions expanding Mount Coffee to 122 MW and pairing it with a 90 MWp solar farm, aligning with Liberia’s goal of 50% renewable energy by 2030. Commercially, the plant’s output is sold under a long-term power purchase agreements to LEC’s grid, ensuring stable revenue while reducing tariffs for the population.
Impact
In Liberia, around 30% of the population has access to electricity.
The project allows a larger part of the population to have access to electricity.
The plant was renovated through advanced technology transfer from industrialized countries.
Mount Coffee was renovated with the most modern technology in all of West Africa.
LEC used the local workforce to renovate the plant.
60 technicians and locals were trained in several stages for the operation and maintenance of the plant.
Businesses and households are still using expensive diesel generators to get electricity.
For businesses who are connected to the grid, production costs have dropped by 70%.
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