On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC) concluded its sixth and final public hearing on the Liberia Electricity Corporation’s (LEC) proposed new tariff. The event, which brought citizens face-to-face with the utility provider, aimed at questioning, challenging, and scrutinizing the price changes expected to take effect beginning January next year.
LERC’s Director of Economic Regulations, Alieu Fuad Nyei, said the hearing was held in six counties, where LEC currently operates and forms part of the Commission’s legal mandate under the 2015 Electricity Law of Liberia, which requires that no licensed operator may charge any electricity price without prior approval from LERC.
According to the law, public participation is a compulsory element of every tariff review process. According to him, on September 30, LEC submitted to the Commission its formal application for a new tariff, detailing the prices it intends to charge different categories of consumers.
He disclosed that the LERC reviewed the submission and on October 14, declared the application complete, paving the way for the formal tariff determination process. Nyei explained that the Commission subsequently published an abridged version of the application for public consumption, alongside a notice informing the nation that LEC had applied for new tariffs.
He explained that the public hearings were designed to give citizens a platform to seek clarity, raise objections, and provide input before any final decision is made. He said, “It would be wrong and illegal for the Commission to sit quietly and approve a tariff without first consulting the public, stressing that the new tariff must be cost-reflective, ensuring LEC recovers its operational costs while maintaining prices consumers can reasonably afford.”
According to him, LERC has already conducted hearings in Todee, Robertsport, Grand Bassa’s Compound One, Yarpah Town in Rivercess, and Kakata in Margibi County. For his part, Claude J. Katta, the Chairman of LERC Board of Commissioners, also underscored the Commission’s dual responsibility: protecting consumers from unfair charges while ensuring that LEC does not undercharge to the point of crippling its operations.
“We don’t want LEC to cheat you, and we don’t want LEC to cheat itself. Our job is to strike a balance so the price set will be fair to both sides,” he narrated. The LERC Chairperson also urged citizens to speak freely, noting that all comments, questions, and concerns would be documented and considered in the final tariff decision.
