Liberian Engineers save LEC over US $300,000.00

By Mark N. Mengonfia- mmenginfia@gmail.com

MONROVIA-Young Liberian Trained Engineers have put a smile on the face of the Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), Monie R. Captan by successfully completing the annual maintenance of one of its units.

Unit number two annual maintenance was done by Liberian Engineers who took over said task after the departure of the institution that managed LEC years back.

Isaac Brown, a 2013 Graduate of the University of Liberia’s Engineering Department spearheaded the one-month annual Maintenance which should have caused LEC, the sum of two to three hundred thousand United States Dollars.

Speaking to a Team of Reporters Friday, May 5, 2023, after a tour of the facilities, and commissioning of Unit #2, Mr. Brown who is serving LEC as the Maintenance Manager at the plant, responded to questions: “You cannot take on a unit with a guesswork. This is something we have been doing for many years.”

According to the youthful engineer, each year, unit maintenance is done on one of their units to keep it functioning.

He said, “It is good that the CEO himself tested the unit and put it on.”

He indicated that the work they have done is a clear manifestation that the local engineers are capable of taking on major tasks.

According to him, years back, Liberians believed that those who acquired their education locally, could not take on major tasks.

The youthful Liberian said with the annual maintenance of the unit, it has dispelled the thoughts people had against local engineers of Liberia.

Friday, LEC, CEO, Monie Captan commissioned Unit #2 which was worked on by Isaac and his team.

He was proud of the work the young Liberians did at the plant.

He said at first, they said that Liberians could not manage the system thus leading to ten years of Foreign Service management.

Proudly speaking of the workers at the plant, the LEC CEO expressed job joy that they were able to save the sum of over two to three hundred thousand United States dollars stating that it caused the LEC the play of those employees to have said work done.

“They are employees. They get pay through their salaries and that’s their joy to keep the equipment running, keep them maintained and that’s what they were doing” he said when he was asked if the LEC pay the Liberians for doing such work.

He said, “If the machines break down, it means that they have failed at their job.”

The LEC CEO Captan speaking about power theft, he said those who are involved in power thief should see reasons to stop because those Liberians who are working with LEC are indirectly being insulted by the action of the thief.

Pointing directly at Paynesville, he said 84% of homes in Paynesville were into power thieves, but they have managed to reduce it to about 30% a move he said was significant progress in the fight against power theft.

He promised to take the effort to other communities so as to get the needed revenue from the power they generate through the Mount Coffey Power Plant and the CSLG line.

He said most of the power with LEC will stop when Liberians stop stealing power.