High levels of commercial losses for a utility have serious sustainability implications, despite maintaining the economic benefit to the end users of electricity. The evaluation showed that commercial losses in Liberia are some of the highest in the world and have increased with the commissioning of Mount Coffee to about 58%. As more power became available on the grid and the utility has been unable to curb illegal connections, the long run prospects for the ability of the utility to maintain Mount Coffee and the transmission and distribution network are concerning. MCC is addressing this issue in Liberia by funding a survey to map out the assets of the utility and the customers connected to the grid through legal and illegal connections. However, while the mapping survey is a necessary condition for the utility to begin recouping the costs of operations and maintenance and become solvent, it may not be sufficient.
Lesson Learned