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.
The renovation of the Enguri hydro power plant (HPP), the largest electricity producer in Georgia that also supplies the country’s Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia, is coming to an end and is expected to start producing electricity in early May of this year, announces Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.
The de-facto Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russian occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia announces that daily monitoring is underway to prevent the operation of cryptocurrency mining farms in Abkhazia, where hundreds of bitcoin mining machines are being turned off every week.
The first tourist route has opened on Enguri River arch dam, located in Georgia’s northwestern town of Jvari, which is considered the world’s second highest concrete arch dam with a height of 271.5 metres.
‘Bitcoin mining farms are creating an energy crisis in Georgia’s Russia-occupied Abkhazia region’, says the Democracy Research Institute (DRI). DRI notes that even with the completion of the rehabilitation works on the Enguri HPP, the energy crisis could not be improved in Abkhazia due to the bitcoin mining farms.
Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission has fined water and electricity supplier companies in the country for 'inaccurate accruals' set to the subscribers. Georgian Water and Power, one of the leading water supplier companies in the South Caucasus, was fined 75,000 GEL (about $24,311/€20,705).
Energy projects have not been suspended in Georgia despite the pandemic, said Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava today adding that 670 MW worth of hydropower plants have either been put into operation or moved to the construction stage in 2020.
A massive power cut left almost half of the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi and several regions without electricity today. The Georgian State Electrosystem said that the electricity was cut off after the 500 kWh power transmission line with Imereti was accidently shut off.
Starting January 20 the Enguri hydro power plant (HPP), the largest electricity producer of Georgia that supplies its Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia, will be closed for repairs for three months.
The renovated Enguri hydro power plant (HPP), the largest electricity producer in Georgia that also supplies the country’s Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia, has started producing electricity today, announces Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava.
Georgia will have another big and multifunctional tourist zone at one of the country’s most unique monuments, the Enguri River dam, which will become a "world-class attraction”.
New tourist infrastructure is being built at one of Georgia’s most unique monuments – Enguri Dam – to give visitors a fresh look at parts of the site that currently can’t be accessed.
Georgia’s digital technology company UGT and Austria's largest electricity provider Verbund have teamed up to implement digital management at the Enguri hydropower plant, the largest electricity-producing infrastructure in Georgia, the Ministry of Economy announced on Tuesday.