Hydropower controversy in Georgia

2023-07-17

TBILISI - The electricity generated by at least ninety-four hydropower plants covers 80% of Georgian demand. Still, the ruling party Georgian Dream is pushing for more investment.

At the end of 2022, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced the reactivation of hydropower projects that had come to a standstill due to the protests and the start of new projects. “We can sell some electricity to the European Union. We are talking about millions of dollars in revenue for the country," Garibashvili stated in a speech."

A little earlier, on December the 17th, the president of the European Commission signed a memorandum on the construction of an energy cable under the Black Sea. Ursula von der Leyen assured that the project "could bring great benefits to Georgia: the country could become an electricity hub and the Georgian electricity market could integrate with the EU market."

Is it a coincidence that Garibashvili announced the resumption of work on controversial projects after Ursula von der Leyen's assurances? And what do Georgians, who have been protesting against the construction of hydroelectric power plants for 30 years, think about all this? Is Georgia indeed so dependent on Russia when it comes to supply of electricity? And what has cryptocurrency to do with all this?

Team members

Ula Idzikowska

Ula Idzikowska is a Polish journalist and a reporter.

Marek Kowalczyk

Marek Kowalczyk is a Polish photographer and camera operator.

Shota Kincha

Shota Kincha works as a staff writer for the Tbilisi-based news outlet Open Caucasus Media, covering Georgia.

Supported

€11.730 allocated on 09/02/2023

ENV1/2023/168

Grant

Environmental Journalism

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