Hydraulic and Georgia have a long history. The Borjomi Hydro Power Station started production on January 15, 1899. At this time, the capacity of production was 60KW. Georgia has about 2500 large and small rivers with a total length of about 55000km. The country has great potential for hydraulic power plants. Lovers of rafting and kayaking know these names: Mtqvari, Aragvi, Rioni, Terek and Inguri.
During the Soviet occupation, many HPPs were built as HPPs were great suppliers of electricity:
- Buzhoz was the hydropower plant in Georgia on the Bzhzu river. The construction of the power plant was decided in 1938, and it was completed in 1942.
- Enguri HPP was the largest hydropower plant in Transcaucasus. Located on the Enguri River. was built in 1961-1987 with an installed capacity of 1,300 thousand KW.
- Zemo Avchala Hydropower Plant (Zahesi) - The hydropower plant in Georgia was built on the Mtkvari river near Tbilisi, in the Mtskheta Municipality, close to the Mtkvari and Aragvi gorge area. 1922-1927
- Ladzhanuri Hydro Power Plant, in Tsageri Municipality, was built on the Rion river. Construction started in 1953 and ended in 1960. The station’s capacity is 112,5 thousand kW, with a year-on-year output of 505 million. kW/h electricity.
- Ortachala Hydropower Plant, Ortachala HPP, is a hydropower plant in Tbilisi, on the Mtkvari River. Its installed capacity is 18 MW. The average annual output of the HPP is 80 million. kWh is. It was put into operation in 1954.
- Rioni HPP is Georgia’s hydropower plant on the Rioni River. Construction was initiated in 1927-1928. Project Power, with an annual output - of 250 million KW·h.
- Saakadze — the regulatory hydropower plant in Gardabani municipality. Operated in 1952. The average annual generation of the HPP is 50 million KW-h.
- Sokhumi hydropower plant (HPP) - power plant in Georgia, in Sokhumi municipality. The average annual output of the HPP is 100 million. Construction of the plant began in 1934, and start to operate in 1951. Since 1992 Sokhumi has been unable to operate, with its construction virtually abandoning the plant and plundering almost its whole.
- Squrpesi HPP, located on the Chanistskali River in Tsalenjikha Municipality, with an average annual capacity is 5 million kWh. The power plant has been operating since 1958.
- Khramhhe I — regulatory hydropower plant in Georgia, Tsalka municipality, on Khrami river.Launched in December 1947. Its average annual generation of 184 million kWh.
- Kharamshi II — regulatory hydropower plant in Georgia, Tsalka municipality, on Khrami river. Construction of the plant began in 1954. The average annual generation of kW and project is 184 million kWh.
- Khudonhesi is a hydroelectric power station, which has been under construction since 1985, in Mestia municipality, on the Enguri river. Its capacity will be 704 megawatts and its output will be 1.5 billion kWh per year. The height of the dam is 202 meters.
- Shaori Hydropower Plant - Annual Regulatory HPP in Tkibuli municipality, was the city of Tkibuli. The plant was put into operation in 1955. Its installed capacity is 39.2 MW, and the average annual capacity is 139 Gigavati.
Since the independence, not less than 35 projects of HPP have been launched. Among them we can list:
- Kintrishi HPP plant in Georgia, in the Kintrishi River valley, Kobuleti Municipality. The construction started in June 2014 and was completed in autumn 2016. The "Kintrishagh HPP" is 6 MW and the annual generation is 38 million KWh.
- The Nenskra hydro-power plant project will implement the construction of the largest hydropower plant in independent Georgia, Nenskra HPP.
- Shuakhevi HPP, on the Shuakhevi municipality’s territory. Project construction began on March 9, 2014. The date of completion is November 9, 2017, and it launched on January 9, 2018. The Shuakhevi HPP is built and operational by two separate hydropower plants (187 megawatts capacity).
- Khadori hydro-power plant, in Akhmeta municipality of Kvemo Kartli region in eastern Georgia. The installed capacity of the HPP is 24 MW. The average annual output is 100 million. kW·h. The construction started in 2001 and was put into operation in 2004
- Enguri HPP: project of plant rehabilitation with a total rehabilitated capacity of 120MW.
- Lukumi power plant to be built in the north of Georgia on the Lukumi rive in the region of Racha, with an expected annual generation of 86.3GWH
- Bakhvi: hydro-power plant to be built in the region of Guria with an annual generation of 78GW/h.
- And many more...
Hydropower plants can be state-owned or can be privately owned in Georgia. It can also be a mix of private and state-owned companies. Some of them are today owned by join-venture integrating foreign investment. Some Georgian companies in this market are looking for foreign investors to finance the project. Today not less than ten projects approved by the authorities and already attributed to operating companies will need investors.
Investing in an HPP is compliant with goal 7 – affordable and clean energy and goal 9 – Industry, innovation and infrastructure of the sustainable development goals of the United Nations. Additionally, it helps the country to decrease its dependency for energies on foreign providers.
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