Economy Minister: Another Large-scale Facility Added to our Energy System

"One of our main goals is to support the construction of a new generation of facilities. Today, another large-scale facility is added to our energy system, namely, 'Gardabani 2', a 230-megawatt thermal power plant," Natia Turnava, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, said at the official opening ceremony of the thermal power station.

The Minister says that the plant is a very important facility, which is to ensure Georgia's energy security with an uninterrupted power supply to the population and businesses.

“This new technology plant is twice as efficient as the old 'open cycle' plants. Energy is one of the priorities of our economic policy. We have high economic growth, which puts on the agenda the need for energy reform and the radical transformation of this sector. Under the direction and instruction of the Prime Minister of Georgia, we launched this reform in 2019. We have drafted and adopted new European legislation. We have created an open, competitive energy market, we have established an energy exchange,” Turnava said.

Turnava noted that renewable energy consumption remains a priority and 2020 is a special year in this direction. She also stressed the importance of building new thermal power plants to ensure the sustainability of the system.

“It is our reserve that ensures the stability of the system. For example, just this plant alone can cover 70% of Tbilisi's average monthly consumption,” she said.

The Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation has invested up to $185 million in the construction of this 230-megawatt thermal power plant on the territory of an existing thermal power plant complex in Gardabani. Construction of the plant began in February 2018.

By Ana Dumbadze