The Global Carbon Council (GCC) proudly marks a new chapter with the registration of its 150th project — the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant— and our first in Liberia.
Located on the St. Paul River, about 25 km inland from Monrovia in White Plains, Montserrado County, the project highlights, the project highlights how the GCC’s global network continues to channel climate finance into impactful clean energy projects, supporting countries in meeting climate commitments and building resilient, low-carbon economies.
Revitalizing Liberia’s Renewable Energy Backbone
Once Liberia’s largest source of renewable electricity, the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant (MCHPP) was left inoperable during the civil crisis of 1990. In 2012, the Government of Liberia launched an ambitious plan to rehabilitate this critical run-of-river facility, which was successfully commissioned in 2016.
Today, the fully rehabilitated 64 MW plant supplies clean, reliable power to households, businesses, and essential services — avoiding an estimated 120,600 tCO₂e in emissions annually by replacing fossil fuel-based generation.
Advancing Climate Goals with Social Impact
Methodology & Standards
The project applies the ACM0002 Methodology (Version 21.0) for grid-connected renewable electricity generation. It has been validated with multiple GCC labels, including E+, S+, and CORSIA (C+) Pilot Phase, confirming its strong environmental safeguards and measurable climate contributions.
Positive Impacts for People and Planet
- Expanding Clean Energy Access: Replaces fossil fuel-based electricity with renewable hydropower, delivering ~202.689 GWh/year of green energy and cutting CO₂ emissions.
- Sustainable Resource Use: Operates with strong natural resource management and strict adherence to national waste management rules, with monitoring for both solid and hazardous waste.
- Protecting Local Ecosystems: Safeguards aquatic biodiversity through careful monitoring and addresses community concerns to maintain harmony with local ecosystems. Water discharge is regulated to protect river health, and minimal land-use change was needed — with fair compensation and no disturbance to ecologically sensitive areas.
- Boosting Local Livelihoods: Creates long- and short-term jobs during construction and operation, actively supporting household incomes.
- Health, Safety, and Skills: Promotes occupational health and safety through disease prevention, accident reduction, health equipment provision, and regular HSE training. Builds local capacity with specialized skills training, enhancing long-term employability.
- Social Safeguards: Robust monitoring plans ensure all social commitments are met with no net social harm.
Supporting Sustainable Development Goals
The Mount Coffee Hydropower Project actively advances multiple SDGs by linking clean energy generation with real social and economic benefits:
✅ SDG 7 — Affordable and Clean Energy
By restoring Liberia’s main hydropower facility, MCHPP expands access to stable, affordable, and renewable electricity — delivering an annual average green power generation of about 202.689 GWh over the fixed crediting period of 10 years. This reduces reliance on costly diesel generation, lowers energy costs, and strengthens the resilience of the national grid — ensuring more households, schools, hospitals, and businesses can thrive with reliable power.
✅ SDG 8 — Decent Work and Economic Growth
Beyond clean energy, the project drives local economic development. It has created jobs during its extensive rehabilitation phase and continues to provide skilled and unskilled employment for operations and maintenance. The project also builds local technical capacity, helping develop a workforce that can support Liberia’s future energy ambitions.
✅ SDG 13 — Climate Action
By displacing fossil fuel-based power generation, the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant reduces greenhouse gas emissions by over 120,600 tons of CO₂ equivalent each year, making a measurable contribution to national and global climate targets. Its climate benefits are independently verified and help position Liberia as an active participant in the global effort to limit warming.
Urs Brunner, Co-Founder and Technical Director at Hydro Operation International SA, added: “From wreck and rubble to an invaluable national asset. The Mount Coffee dam was breached during the civil unrest and left abandoned for years until the Government of Liberia, with the support of International Financial Institutions, picked up the project of rebuilding the dam and hydropower plant. The rebuilt facility was inaugurated in December 2016 by the Liberia Electricity Corporation and has since produced invaluable, reliable, clean, and renewable energy. It first served Greater Monrovia, which went from polluting diesel power up to 88 MW of significantly cleaner renewable energy. It also made it possible to expand the electric grid and connect more people. Mount Coffee HPP has also become a node of the regional interconnector known as CLSG (Côte d’Ivoire Liberia Sierra Leone Guinea). The Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant makes a significant contribution to providing clean, reliable, affordable electricity to the people of Liberia and the region. We are proud of the Global Carbon Council’s approval of the Mount Coffee project, thanks to Aera Group’s experienced carbon advisory, which will reward Liberia Electricity Corporation’s efforts and sustain the country’s low-emission development.”
Independently Verified
Validation: The Mount Coffee Hydropower Project has been independently verified by Carbon Check (India) Private Limited, ensuring its emissions reductions and co-benefits are credible, measurable, and transparent.
Project Ownership and Partners
The Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant is owned and operated by the Liberia Electricity Corporation, with support from Aera Group and Hydro Operation International SA.
A Clean Energy Legacy Restored
The registration of the Mount Coffee Hydropower Project as GCC’s 150th approved project shows how carbon markets can unlock funding and partnerships to rebuild vital infrastructure — bringing clean energy, local jobs, and climate action to the heart of communities.
Mount Coffee Hydropower — restoring Liberia’s energy future and advancing global climate solutions.
