MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Another new facility was added to the energy system of Georgia – Khobi 2 HPP, which is located in Chkhorotsku Municipality. The HPP was opened by the First Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Levan Davitashvili together with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

The project implemented by the Georgian Investment Group Energy is quite a large-scale – the installed capacity of the station is 44,5 MW, and the annual production of electricity is about 200 million kWh. With these parameters, Khobi 2 HPP is included in the first five HPPs built during the history of independent Georgia. The investment volume of the first phase of the project amounts to 250 million GEL.

"Today, one of the outstanding energy projects was put into operation, and since 2012, over 1150 MW of capacity has been added to the energy system of Georgia, which is a great achievement. 63 new hydroelectric power station projects have been implemented, however, projects of such scale are far not common and therefore, they are of particular importance and significance in terms of advancing our energy system and strengthening our energy independence" – the First Vice Prime Minister noted.

Deputy Ministers of Economy and Sustainable Development – Nino Enukidze and Genadi Arveladze, heads of local government, energy sector agencies and private companies also took part in the opening event of the HPP. The guests inspected the infrastructure of the HPP and received detailed information about its operational system from the company's representatives.

As the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development noted, the vision of the Georgian government is to utilize the existing energy resources as much as possible. Davitashvili emphasized that the country has important means of obtaining electricity from renewable sources, first of all, in the direction of hydroelectric power plants, because the country has more than 26 thousand mountain rivers and it is necessary to utilize these resources. In addition, Levan Davitashvili stressed that the government and, in particular, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development will actively work in this regard in the coming years, as well as in the direction of development of wind and solar energy. The First Vice Prime Minister also emphasized the importance of connecting the energy system of Georgia with neighboring countries and Europe and the ongoing works in this regard.

"Our ambitious plan is absolutely realistic and we can not only double our installed capacity, but have an installed capacity of up to 10 000 MW. This will fully ensure the rapid development of our economy, completely support the high growth rates of the economy, and we will also have the opportunity to develop new, energy-intensive industries and export electricity. In this regard, the Ministry is actively working on increasing connectivity with neighboring countries – Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey. However, there is also an important flagship project – the possibility of direct connection with the European Union through the Black Sea Submarine Cable. All this will allow us to make our energy sector even more attractive to investors" – the First Vice Prime Minister said.

Special emphasis was placed on the economic and social importance of the new hydroelectric power plant for the region and local population, including in the form of infrastructural and social projects implemented by the investing company. The HPP contributes 2,5 million GEL annually to the local budget, several hundred people were employed during the construction process, and 50 local residents are currently employed. In addition, the company has already spent 408 000 GEL in the form of various social and cultural projects, including the construction of a modern sports complex for the population of Mukhuri village.