TBILISI, May 5 – Georgia needs more diverse energy sources, stronger transmission lines and battery storage if it wants to become less vulnerable to shocks, a senior Asian Development Bank (ADB) official said.
Keiju Mitsuhashi, ADB’s director for energy, said one of the key factors for strengthening Georgia’s energy independence is diversification, as reported by Interpressnews.
“If a system depends on only one source or one technology, it becomes much more vulnerable to risks and shocks,” Mitsuhashi told the news agency during the ADB’s 59th annual meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
His comments come at a sensitive time for Georgia’s energy sector. Electricity tariffs have recently gone up, energy experts have pointed to growing electricity imports, and private companies are investing in both old and new hydropower assets.
Mitsuhashi said Georgia needs a strong and resilient green energy system that can integrate different types of power.
“For strengthening the energy independence of Georgia, as well as other countries, one of the main factors is diversification of energy sources,” he said.
He said diversification can mean using different technologies and receiving electricity from different regions. But he added that transmission alone is not enough.
“It is necessary to develop energy storage capabilities,” Mitsuhashi said, adding that storage would make it easier to integrate different types of energy and keep the power system stable.
ADB is already backing that approach. In April 2025, the bank approved a USD 104 million loan for Georgia’s first battery storage substation.
Georgia is already in the process of modernizing its power sector, with one company EP Georgia Generation, continuing rehabilitation of three hydropower plants, with total investment of 20 million euros. The work covers Ortachala HPP, the Gumati HPP cascade and Chitakhevi HPP. The company says equipment needed for the rehabilitation has already been brought from the Czech Republic and Slovenia.
The company also plans major rehabilitation and reinforcement work from next year at the Lajanuri HPP hydrotechnical structures, saying their condition needs special attention.
Meanwhile, several a company owned by former NBA player Zaza Pachulia plans to build a hydropower plant in Ambrolauri municipality, after the government transferred state-owned land to the company for 49 years.
The cost of electricity is a persistent problem for consumers in Georgia, where a cost of living debate recently led to a parliamentary commission. Energy expert Murman Margvelashvili told Interpressnews that higher consumption, growing imports and the need for investment in networks were among the factors behind the latest tariff increase.
