"Intensive work has begun on three major projects," stated Irakli Kobakhidze, the Georgian Dream Prime Minister, regarding the giant hydropower plant projects in Svaneti and Lechkhumi. The construction of these projects had been halted due to significant violations and prolonged, continuous protests from the local population.
News
Trending stories
- 1 So-called FARA Appealed to the Constitutional Court of Georgia
- 2 Zurab Japaridze Put in Pretrial Detention over the Georgian Dream Commission Non-Appearance
- 3 Record Number of Chinese Companies Registered in Georgia in 2024
- 4 Irakli Okruashvili Arrested for Not Attending Tsulukiani Commission Hearing
- 5 kobakhidze: "We have begun preparations for the elections, and we will win in all 64 municipalities"
- 6 Mayors of Batumi and Kobuleti Resign Via Facebook Posts
"The entire agent network was involved in hindering the implementation of strategic energy projects, which we will not allow in the future. In this case, too, the rule of law and national interests will be protected.
There are several large, as well as smaller, energy projects that will be implemented.
Serious work is also necessary regarding the development of small and medium-sized HPPs, as well as wind and solar energy stations. We have an ambitious task - we want to exceed 10,000 megawatts by 2030. Without the implementation of these projects, this goal cannot be achieved.
Our ambitious goal is for generation to exceed consumption in 2030. This goal must be achieved; it is necessary for Georgia's economic independence and, generally, for our country's independence.
Accordingly, we will work very actively in all directions," Kobakhidze said.
The investor company for Namakhvani HPP, LLC Enka Renewables, abandoned the Namakhvani HPP cascade project in 2022. This decision came after a 20-month continuous protest organized by the Guardians of Rioni Valley movement. The Namakhvani HPP cascade project was slated to include two hydropower plants: Zemo Namakhvani HPP with a 100 MW installed capacity and Kvemo Namakhvani HPP with a 324 MW installed capacity. For Zemo Namakhvani HPP, a 56-meter-high dam was planned near the village of Tvishi, which would have flooded approximately 1,000 hectares. Kvemo Namakhvani HPP project involved building a 105-meter-high dam upstream from the village of Namokhvani in the narrow Rioni River gorge, which would have inundated over 500 hectares. This project also included the construction of a 4,400-meter-long tunnel (9 meters in diameter) to redirect the Rioni River.
The construction of the 650-megawatt Khudoni HPP was planned in Upper Svaneti, near the village of Khaishi. This project, which envisioned a dam almost 200 meters high and a 528-hectare reservoir, was halted due to local protests. If built, Khudoni HPP would be Georgia's second-largest power plant by capacity, following the 1300-megawatt Enguri HPP.
The construction of the Nenskra HPP with a capacity of 280 Megawatts is also planned on the tributary of the Enguri River in Zemo Svaneti. In 2020, the reports of the relevant bodies of the financiers of the project - the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) were published, according to which, Nenskra dam does not meet the standards of the banks in such fundamental aspects as: the rights of the indigenous population, protection of cultural heritage, study of project alternatives, gender issues, transparency of information, and competence of the companies implementing the Nenskra HPP project. Locals have opposed the construction of the Nenskra HPP for years, which has halted the project.
