How is the Enguri HPP shutdown affecting Abkhazia’s power supply?
For years Abkhazia has been fully relying on electricity generated by the Enguri HPP, which is located directly in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict and is the only Georgian-Abkhaz joint project. Photo: engurhesi.ge.
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Georgia's Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia will be using electricity imported from Russia for three months - January, February and March - as the only hydropower plant in the region, the Enguri HPP, has been shut down for repairs.
However, Russia began supplying electricity to occupied Abkhazia on December 11, 2020 as the region had been experiencing rolling blackouts since November 15, introduced to avoid a total shutdown of the Enguri HPP.
In addition to the current water level drops in the Enguri dam, the power shortages are also connected to a hike in power consumption caused by illegal cryptocurrency miners.
This causes increased pressure on the power system and to avoid this situation the de-facto government of Abkhazia banned electricity consumption by crypto-miners on December 8, 2020 until June 1, 2021.
For years Abkhazia has been fully relying on electricity generated by the Enguri HPP, which is located directly in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict and is the only Georgian-Abkhaz joint project.
Georgian and Abkhazian professionals are jointly operating the plant and distributing the electricity, with an informal agreement leading to the population in the region consuming 40 percent of the generated power and residents on the Georgian-controlled territory being allocated 60 percent.