Khudon Hess construction not to start in 2014

The start of the construction of Khudoni Hydro Electric Power Station has been postponed. It seems like the Georgian government does not want to irritate the Svan population before the local elections; therefore, the government has postponed starting the construction and relevant preliminary works.

For several months the Georgian government has been conducting negotiations, meetings, discussions, and disputes on different levels among the population of the Svaneti region involving experts, scholars, and various stakeholders.

The results are not encouraging. The government has not yet actually refused to start the project. Now the local elections are approaching. The results of elections will reveal the configuration of the political forces in the country.

This will give some time for the administration and the population to take further steps in this direction.