KEY POINTS
- Maryland County residents demanded LIB Energy’s replacement at a public LERC tariff hearing in Pleebo.
- LIB Energy’s Maryland Grid Manager publicly apologized for what he called worrisome service failures.
- Maryland County Superintendent recommended reducing the electricity tariff from 25 cents to 20 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Residents of Maryland County showed up to a public hearing in Pleebo City on Monday with a clear message for LIB Energy: fix the service or get out.
The Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission organized the tariff assessment hearing at Pleebo City Hall. It was supposed to be a review of electricity pricing. It turned into an hours-long public reckoning over years of unreliable power supply since LIB Energy assumed operations in the county in 2023.
Maryland County Superintendent Henry B. Cole, Pleebo City Mayor Larry Geekor, LERC commissioners, LEC representatives, youth leaders, elders and scores of ordinary residents packed the hall. What followed was blunt.
Citizens accused LIB Energy of collecting significant tariffs while delivering little. Many said they had been forced to purchase wires, conductors, transformers, cables and installation materials out of their own pockets just to get connected to the grid.
“We are paying for current, buying our own materials, and still suffering from unstable electricity,” one resident said. “There is no justification for extending this company’s operations if things continue this way.”
The apology that came too late
Residents went further. They said unstable power had damaged household appliances, disrupted businesses, schools and healthcare facilities. They called on LERC to deny any extension of LIB Energy’s mandate and consider replacing the company’s management entirely.
LIB Energy’s Maryland Grid Manager Henry Hodge stepped forward and did something unusual. He apologized publicly and did not soften it.
“We strongly apologize for the irregularities and challenges our customers are facing,” Hodge said. “It is worrisome, and frankly embarrassing, but we are operating under constraints because we are working as contractors in line with the Liberia Electricity Corporation.”
According to All Africa, Hodge said the company has expansion plans for 2027 and 2029 if allowed to continue and pressed for time to execute them. The room was not convinced.
What regulators heard
Superintendent Cole backed the residents. He urged LERC to take the complaints seriously and recommended reducing the electricity tariff from 25 cents per kilowatt-hour to 20 cents, arguing the financial burden on residents should not remain high while service quality stays poor.
“The people’s concerns are legitimate and must be addressed,” Cole said.
LERC has not announced when it will issue a final determination on the tariff review or the complaints against LIB Energy. Officials assured residents the matter would be addressed. Maryland County is watching to see if that assurance holds.
