Zurab Noghaideli: Georgia Should Become Self-Sufficient Energy Country

“Georgia should become a self-sufficient energy country. This objective cannot be achieved through only small and medium energy projects.

To this end, mega energy projects should be implemented, including, first of all, hydropower projects like Namokhvani HPP, Khudoni HPP, and Nenskra HPP, as well as regulatory power facilities”, Zurab Noghaideli, member of ElGreen energy company’s supervisory board noted.

ElGreen’s key mission is to export electricity from Azerbaijan through the territory of Georgia. When necessary, ElGreen will also supply electricity to the Georgian Market at affordable tariffs.

“I confirm that it is the core business of ElGreen company to export Azerbaijani electricity to the third countries, including to Turkey, EU countries and even to Georgia, when necessary”, Zurab Noghaideli said. Apparently, some politicians either cannot understand the reality or cheat themselves and mislead the society too, when they mention ElGreen as an importer company that could be lobbying the current campaign against hydropower plants. According to superstitions, importers are not interested that Georgia develops domestic power generation, Noghaideli said.

“These considerations are substantially wrong. Furthermore, they even assert as if ElGreen imports electricity from Russia and supplies Russian electricity to Georgia at expensive tariffs and so on. I declare openly and with full responsibility – in this public statement I assure you that neither ElGreen nor its founder Sulkhan Papashvili has ever imported Russian electricity to Georgia. We import the cheapest electricity from Azerbaijan. As for the company’s position regarding developing new energy facilities in Georgia, I have to make several more simple explanations: We believe that Georgia should fully balance the domestic energy consumption through the domestic generation facilities. Georgia should become a self-sufficient energy country and this objective cannot be achieved through only small and medium facilities. To this end, the country should develop mega energy projects, including, first of all, hydropower facilities like Namokhvani HPP, Khudoni HPP, and Nenskra HPP, as well as regulatory power stations”, Noghaideli said.