Georgia is to provide Turkey with electricity generated from new hydropower projects, a company official said on Wednesday.
A joint venture between Austria's renewable energy company RP Global and Georgia's Galt & Taggart companies will provide Turkey with electricity from ‘Svaneti Hydro’ by implementing a hydro portfolio in Georgia.
'Transmission system operators of Turkey and Georgia have plans to build additional interconnection lines, thus facilitating further expansion of electricity trading' Zurab Gordeziani , Svaneti Hydro Representative, told the Anadolu Agency.
“Most of the electricity generation from the project could be exported to Turkey” he said.
The companies plan to build 6 to 8 hydropower plants within the next 5 to 7 years. Installed capacity of each plant will vary from 10 to 30 MW.
The venture's first project will be ‘Mestiachala 2’ hydropower plant to be built in the northwestern part of Georgia with an investment of $50 million.
'We intend to start construction of Mestiachala 2 plant in spring 2015” said Gordeziani. “The plant will have 30 MW capacity and generate around 100 GWh.'
The project is expected to be completed by spring 2017.
Meanwhile, total installed capacity of all intended projects will be around 130-150 MW with 300 million investment.
There is a newly built high voltage transmission line ‘Akhaltsike-Borchkha’ that allows exchange of 700 MW capacity between Turkey and Georgia. Although, there is not a designated partner now, the companies in both countries will discuss electricity trading next year.
Most of Georgia's power generation comes from hydroelectric facilities; however, only one fifth of the country's potential hydropower generation is being used currently. Thus the potential for future projects is considerable.
Georgia has transmission lines that connect its power grid to Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
By Nuran Erkul
Anadolu Agency
nuran.erkul@aa.com.tr