IPNEWS: The Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant has successfully returned to its maximum installed capacity of 88 megawatts (MW) following the full repair and restoration of its damaged Turbine Unit #1.
Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and Mohamed M. Sherif, Managing Director of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), confirmed that the 22 MW turbine—which had been offline since sustaining damage in January 2021—is fully operational.
Contractor SINOHYDRO completed the extensive technical overhaul to restore the final 22 MW turbine back to the grid.
The milestone coincides with the commissioning of a new 20 MW Solar Photovoltaic Plant at the Mount Coffee complex. This boosts the area’s total clean energy contribution and acts as a buffer during seasonal shifts.
Reaching 88 MW heavily reinforces energy reliability for Monrovia and surrounding regions connected through the West African CLSG regional grid.
The World Bank is actively supporting subsequent expansion studies to scale Mount Coffee up to 126 MW, alongside development of the upcoming SP2 upstream hydropower site.
Prior to the civil war, the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant had a total installed power generating capacity of 64 megawatts (MW). This was generated by four turbine units—two 15 MW units (commissioned in 1966) and two 17 MW units (added in 1973).
The plant was a vital part of Liberia’s energy sector, providing roughly 35% of all grid electricity in the country before the facility was severely damaged during the conflict. Following extensive post-war reconstruction, the fully restored and expanded plant now operates at an 88 MW capacity.
