Monrovia – Electricity provider LIBENERGY has formally challenged the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (LERC) recent tariff decision, arguing that the reduction in electricity charges and changes to customer connection costs could significantly undermine the company’s revenue and operational capacity.
The company has filed an application for reconsideration of LERC’s July 6, 2026 tariff determination, a move the Commission confirmed in a statement issued Friday. The application, submitted on July 23 under Regulation 32(1) of the Electricity Tariff Regulations, seeks a review of the tariff approved for the next three years.
According to LERC, LIBENERGY contends that the revised tariff sharply reduces its principal source of operating revenue through the reduction of the energy charge while also lowering customer contributions toward meter acquisition, creating what the company believes are serious financial and operational consequences that were not fully considered during the tariff-setting process.
The appeal comes weeks after LERC approved a new tariff structure intended to lower electricity costs for consumers and expand access to power. Effective August 1, the Commission reduced LIBENERGY’s energy charge by 12 percent, lowering the rate from US$0.25 to US$0.22 per kilowatt-hour.
LERC also approved a monthly fixed charge of US$1.50, which it says will support network reinforcement and improve the reliability and quality of electricity services.
Additionally, the regulator slashed the connection fee for new single-phase customers from US$110 to US$40, a 64 percent reduction aimed at making new connections more affordable.
Under the arrangement, the remaining US$70 cost of the connection will be recovered through the approved energy tariff. The approved package includes one electricity meter, up to 25 meters of low-voltage cable, and the required connectors.
The connection fee for new three-phase customers was set at US$330.
Despite the challenge, LERC emphasized that the filing does not automatically suspend or change the approved tariff.
“The filing of an application for reconsideration is a standard regulatory process provided for under the Electricity Tariff Regulations and does not in itself alter the Commission’s decision,” LERC Chairman Claude J. Katta said.
Katta added that the Commission is reviewing the application in accordance with its regulations and will make a determination based on the evidence presented while balancing the interests of consumers, the utility, and the electricity sector.
The dispute now places LIBENERGY’s tariff structure under renewed regulatory scrutiny, even as the Commission’s approved rates remain in force pending a final decision on the company’s request for reconsideration.
