AFBA discloses ESCO for violating the rules of issuing public information

The Association of Young Financiers and Businessmen (AFBA) has accused the electricity market operator (ESCO) of violating the rules for issuing public information. According to the non-governmental organization, legal actions will be taken.

According to AFBA, on March 4, 2021, the organization wrote officially to the ESCO to provide detailed tariffs for electricity imported to Georgia during 2016-2020 by months. The information should have reflected in detail the amount of imported electricity and the contract prices and fees for the so-called day/night and day-offs. 

However, despite the fact that the 10-day period prescribed by law expired, ESCO did not respond to the requested information, thus, the company violated the first part of Article 40 of the General Administrative Code of Georgia. 

AFBA also addressed the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Gharibashvili with the request to make tariffs on imported electricity public. As they declared while applying to the Prime Minister, publishing the incomplete disclosure of information on imported electricity tariffs by ESCO once again manifests the problem of quality of accountability and transparency with the public. 

This problem is acute today in the hydropower sector of Georgia. If ESCO will not change its attitude towards transparency, the same problem will arise in the field of imported electricity. Also, the distorted publication of imported energy prices raises suspicions, that corruption and vague transactions are involved in the process. The most effective approach to avoid such interpretations is to increase the quality of transparency.

Estimated by young financiers, it is vitally important for the electricity importing process to be 100% transparent, so that the public has access to the data and knows in a specific period of time why this or that importing company was selected. Additionally, ESCO's adherence to transparency will end the spread of lies and avoid manipulations by various business groups, as AFBA declared while addressing to Prime Minister.