Construction of Namakhvani HPP postponed for another 12 months – Minister of Economy of Georgia
By Veronika Malinboym
Tuesday, May 11
Earlier today, on May 10, the Minister of Economy of Georgia, Natia Turnava has announced that the construction of the Namakhvani HPP will be postponed for 12 months. She explained that the moratorium on the construction has been imposed because of the mediation process with the participation of the chairman of the EU Energy disputes Council will be held between the government and the non-governmental sector, which will, subsequently, help assess the environmental impact of the construction of the Namakhvani hydroelectric power plant and help build the trust towards the project:
“The mediation process will be between the non-governmental sector and governmental structures. We, of course, are acting within the law and in accordance with the announced priorities”, Turnava said.
The Minister added that there are no plans of visiting the protesters in the Rioni gorge, however, the “door is opened for them to join the negotiations”.
The project of building the Namakhvani power plant in the Rioni gorge of the Western Georgia has sparked a wave of protests, as activists, supported by the number of environmental experts, believe that the construction may pose serious seismic and ecological risks to the area, as well as leading the locals having to leave their homes and relocate elsewhere. The protests under the “Protect the Rioni gorge” slogan continued for several months, despite the efforts of the local law enforcement agents to disperse them and prohibit access to the protest site.
The project of building the Lower and Upper Namakhvani power plants with a total capacity of 433 MW is being realized by one of the Turkish largest companies ENKA with the direct support of the government of Georgia. The government’s main argument in favor of the construction is that the new power plant, can, potentially, ensure Georgia’s independence in producing energy as the Namakhvani HPP would become the country’s largest project since the Enguri HPP constructed in 1987.
Earlier yesterday, the activists protesting against the construction of the HPP announced that they would be holding a meeting with the residents of Tsageri municipality in order to introduce them to the acitivists’ action plan, and, according to the members of the Protectors of the Rioni Gorge movement, a similar meeting will be held with the residents of Ambrolauri.
