About

The Government of Lesotho has established a new corporate entity, named the Lesotho Electricity Generation Company (LEGCO) to operate and maintain the Project. The primary objective of LEGCO is to develop and implement a systematic well-planned development of power generation infrastructure in Lesotho using hydro, solar and wind resources for meeting local electricity requirements and also trading in energy with other Southern Africa Community Countries (SADC), while guaranteeing energy sovereignty and security for Lesotho.

LEGCO is fully supported and capacitated in the development and construction of power generating plants to meet the current and future electricity demands for the country particularly in solar, hydro and wind. The decision to establish LEGCO comes in recognition of the fact that despite the abundance of hydro, solar and wind for power generation, the country still relies on electricity imports from the Republic of South Africa and Mozambique to meet its power requirements.

Lesotho currently generates electricity through the Muela Hydro Power Station which only provides 72MW and this is not enough to meet the country’s base load estimated at 160MW. The situation is even worse during peak hours, especially in winter. This development will further afford Lesotho an opportunity to participate in the energy trade within the SADC Region through the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP).

The Lesotho Electricity Generation Company, as the operator of the project, will take over the operation and maintenance of the project after the completion of the project. At that time, the contractor plans to train the engineers of LEGCO in operation and maintenance so that they can be competent for the work.