A recent power outage that disrupted operations at Liberia’s Roberts International Airport (RIA), has been linked to an unusual culprit – birds reports FrontPage Africa.
This was revealed during Liberia Senate Transport Committee hearing on April 2, officials from the Liberia Airport Authority (LAA) revealed that a group of birds feeding near nearby dumpsites had caused the disruption by perching on the airport’s transformers.
The power failure occurred on the evening of March 30, initially attributed to an electrical issue with the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) power grid. However, after further investigation, it was found that birds had interfered with the transformers, leading to a temporary power loss that impacted airport operations.
LAA officials explained that the birds struck an isolator connected to a transformer, triggering the outage. LEC Deputy Managing Director for Operations, Thomas Gonkerwon, emphasised that this was a unique and unforeseeable event, but assured the Senate committee that swift measures were taken to restore power.
“By 1:00 AM the following morning, power was fully restored, and by 4:00 PM, a replacement transformer was installed,” Gonkerwon explained. He further stated that while the outage affected the terminal temporarily, key airport operations were maintained through backup generators.
Despite the temporary disruption, both LAA and LEC officials assured the public that the situation had been effectively managed, and no significant impact was felt beyond the terminal area.
“We take this matter very seriously, and we are fully committed to ensuring that Roberts International Airport operates with a reliable and uninterrupted power supply,” said Jonathan C. Enders, the Deputy Director for Technical Services at LAA. He emphasized that the incident provided valuable lessons and highlighted the need for future-proofing the airport’s power systems.
In response to the bird-related issue, LEC officials are taking steps to address environmental factors that may lead to future disruptions. These measures include clearing potential hazards around transformers to prevent similar bird strikes.
Both agencies said they are also focused on long-term solutions to improve the airport’s power infrastructure. LAA is in the process of procuring a new 3-megawatt transformer, which will reduce reliance on the national grid and improve power capacity. Additionally, LAA is exploring solar energy solutions to provide an alternative, sustainable power source.
