Successful German-Georgian cooperation - Ambassador Fischer visited projects in western Georgia
Friday, November 17, 2023
Ambassador Peter Fischer visited various German development cooperation projects in western Georgia from 14 to 15 November 2023 together with a group of Georgian media representatives. He was accompanied by the embassy's development cooperation team and representatives of the two implementing organisations, the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and KfW Development Bank.
The first stop on the way to Batumi was the substation in Zestaponi, which was renovated as part of financial cooperation and plays an important role in energy transmission. It is just one example of the German support, as in the last 10 years around 135 million euros have been realised as part of the support for electricity transmission. As a result, 470 kilometres have been newly constructed or rehabilitated via KfW, enabling small hydropower plants with a total capacity of more than 400 MW to be connected to the Georgian power grid.
In Batumi, the focus was on sustainable urban development including improving urban mobility. The delegation learnt about the bicycle master plan, the bicycle sharing system and the pedestrian concept in Batumi.
In addition, bus drivers in Batumi and Tbilisi were trained as trainers on energy-efficient, safe driving and communication with passengers. In 2022 alone, almost 2,000 bus drivers from the transport companies were trained by these trainers.
Urban development also includes the project to improve Batumi's water infrastructure. Thanks to the construction of a wastewater treatment plant and the renovation of other water supply facilities, the city's residents now have clean drinking water and a functioning wastewater disposal system. This has ensured the water supply for over 200,000 people in Georgia's second-largest city since 2011. The resulting enormous increase in tourist numbers in Batumi has helped to secure 60,000 local jobs.
At the end of the trip, the city administration of Batumi signed a memorandum of understanding with GIZ to set up an urban lab in Batumi. In the "Urban Lab", various project solutions for a more attractive and greener Batumi will be developed and tested together with the citizens of Batumi.
