TBILISI, November 26 – Two new hydropower plants planned along Georgia’s central Mtkvari River have cleared a regulatory hurdle, after the National Environmental Agency issued environmental approvals on Thursday for the construction and operation of the Skra HPP and the Urbnisi HPP. Both facilities will be built by the private company N-C Group 2022, which … Read more
TBILISI, November 4 – Tbilisi City Court held a preliminary hearing Tuesday in a new criminal case against Giorgi Bachiashvili, the former head of Georgia’s Co-Investment Fund, over alleged mismanagement connected to the Mtkvari hydropower plant project. At the hearing, the court reviewed the admissibility of evidence and is expected to decide whether the case … Read more
TBILISI, October 21 – Georgia has scrapped plans for dozens of hydro, wind, and solar power plants after finding that most existed only on paper and had no realistic chance of being built. The government’s October 13 decree canceled 1,746 megawatts worth of planned capacity from unfinished or unstarted projects that never advanced beyond early-stage … Read more
TBILISI, October 16 – Georgia’s government says it wants to make the country fully energy independent by 2030, a goal that Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze describes as achievable if new large-scale hydropower plants are built and renewable energy sources are expanded. In an interview with Gulf News, Kobakhidze said Georgia plans to increase its electricity … Read more
TBILISI, September 20 – Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze blames the halting of two major hydropower plans on ‘sabotage’ by foreign-funded groups. Hydropower projects in Georgia have long drawn street protests, but Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze now says some groups went further, engaging in sabotage and demands for stakes in energy projects. The PM pointed to … Read more
TBILISI, September 9 – Talk of giant hydropower plants in Georgia has all but vanished. Projects once hailed as key to the country’s energy future have stalled, investors have pulled out, and officials now speak cautiously about how to move forward. Experts warn that Georgia’s energy sector is stuck. Years of protests against dams, combined … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–At least two people were injured as protesters clashed with police in a village near Tskaltubo Tuesday evening. The clashes broke out as special forces arrived in the village of Sakulia in order to arrest a 29-year-old man for involvement in protests against the Namakhvani hydropower project. Clashes took place as police arrived at … Read more