PM Gakharia and Economy Minister Launch TPP equipped with most advanced technologies

Giorgi Gakharia, Prime Minister of Georgia launched Gardabani 2 Thermal Power Plant (TPP) equipped with the most advanced technologies in Gardabani together with Natia Turnava, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia.

Established capacity of the TPP is 230 megawatts and its construction phase lasted from February 2018 through December 2019. It ensures the full supply of energy in the winter of the current year through its power generation.

Gardabani 2 TPP annual output is nearly 1.3 billion kW/hr. The facility is notable for its high efficiency and environmentally friendly technology. It was built with a Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation (GOGC) investment in the volume of around USD 180 MLN.

Georgia's Prime Minister addressed the crowd gathering at the official Gardabani 2 TPP launch ceremony and referred to the initiative as the most successful and important for the country's energy sector.

"We should all remember and know it well that our main goal is to create new jobs and economic growth. Energy efficiency and source of energy, in general, are of critical importance for this. That is why the new Gardabani TPP will primarily ensure the sustainability of the energy system of Georgia and what is most important - energy security of the country,” noted PM.

According to Gakharia, almost 1.2 billion megawatts were added to the capacity of the energy system from 2012 through 2019, “Consumption of energy is increasing in the country and we need new sources of generation for the sustainability of our system.”

According to the Head of Government, Georgia should become a very important and stable transit country towards power energy transit as well.

Turnava spoke about the importance of energy reform for the country and noted that this area is one of the top priorities of the government's economic policy, especially given the current high economic growth.

“We have high economic growth, which highlights the need for energy reform and the fundamental transformation and development of this sector,” noted Turnava.

New TPP is the first of its kind in the country. It is equipped with an innovative so-called zero-launch function, which allows for the recovery of power energy supply to the system from zero in the most efficient manner if and when emergencies occur in the energy system of the country.

The new TPP of the combined cycle is energy-efficient and consumes twice less gas. It is much more cost-efficient than old energy generation facilities operated with natural gas in Georgia.