MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Romeo Mikoutadze, participated in the Energy Policy Forum.
Romeo Mikautadze together with the acting Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Georgia, Claire Mason and the Chairman of the National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission, Davit Narmania opened the USAID-organized event.

“Energy security is a necessary prerequisite for economic growth and development, and to achieve it, it is necessary to diversify energy sources, increase energy efficiency, invest in renewable energy and develop new energy technologies,” – Romeo Mikautadze said at the forum.  

The First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development expressed special thanks to the representatives of the USAID’s Energy Future Assurance Program and noted that the organization has made a great contribution to the development of Georgia’s energy sector and promotion of energy security.

“In recent decades, the energy sector of Georgia has made significant progress in terms of the security of energy supply and the establishment of a sustainable energy system - the ongoing reforms in the sector are aimed at further strengthening its efficiency, competitiveness and security of supply through the introduction of EU energy legislation,” – Romeo Mikautadze noted.
According to Mikautadze, in order to get closer to the European Union and to develop the state’s energy sector, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, on the basis of the Law on Energy and Water Supply, developed a state energy policy document for a 10-year period, which combines the principles of state energy security, security of energy supply, development of energy activities and other important issues. Mikautadze also noted that the state has not developed documents of similar importance so far and they are based on the relevant regulations of the European Union.

“We continue implementation of the large-scale reform of the energy sector, within the framework of which, in order to strengthen free market relations in the field, energy activities - transmission and distribution are separated from production, trade and supply activities. A new renewable energy support scheme is also worth noting since it will provide opportunities for further development of green energy and creation of an even more attractive environment for investing in this field,” – Romeo Mikautadze highlighted.

The Deputy Minister emphasized the importance of utilizing local renewable energy sources and developing energy efficiency to strengthen the country's energy security. According to him, the country has important resources of water, wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy, the utilization of which will have a positive impact on balancing generation and reducing the import dependence.