- Stakeholders dodge responsibility for Mt Coffee turbine incident
- Two turbines at the Mt Coffee Hydro station was burnt
- No details on the cause of the mishap
The Mount Coffee Hydro station has had two of its four turbines out of service following the incident in which one turbine was burnt in February, and the other was shut down due to oil leakage. Despite several investigations, it is yet to be ascertained the cause of the fire incident at the station. However, according to some sources, the turbine was allegedly damaged when the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) recalibrated the turbine to function at a low water level.
German company and manufacturer of the turbine, VOITH, despite having a maintenance contract with the government of Liberia, has refused to take responsibility for the damage after its own investigation revealed the mishap was a result of the actions of the LEC. The cost of repairs is estimated at $75 million.
The LEC, on the other hand, has refused to take responsibility for the damage. As a result, there has been a reduction in the total power generated from the Mt Coffee hydro, with capacity dropping to 44MW from 88MW. Chief Executive Officer (CEO), LEC Mr Pascal Buckley, has failed to respond to questions on the issue.
“Those who are responsible for the damage of the turbine must be held responsible. This is a major government asset. One of the largest and important assets of the government, and it seems everybody is playing innocent here to the detriment of the entire country.” the source stated.