Energy Regulator Head: Georgia cannot afford to abandon cheap Russian energy for political reasons
The official also pointed out Georgia was not importing electricity at the moment due to consumption being “fully satisfied” with local production, while noting Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan were the main countries exporting electricity to Georgia over the recent years. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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Georgia has “no luxury” of giving up relatively cheap Russian energy for political reasons due to the “sensitivity” of the tariff changes, David Narmania, the Head of the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission, said on Thursday.
We have been receiving electricity from Russia for some months, due to the fact that it is cheaper compared to [imports from] Turkey and Azerbaijan”, Narmania was cited as saying by local online media outlet bpn.ge.
He further noted Georgia did not face the threat of an energy crisis in case of the embargo imposed on Russian electricity - for its invasion of Ukraine - as the country had “alternative sources” of power supply.
The official also pointed out Georgia was not importing electricity at the moment due to consumption being “fully satisfied” with local production, while noting Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan were the main countries exporting electricity to Georgia over the recent years.
Narmania said the surplus amount of energy produced by local hydropower plants was exported to Turkey, calling this year’s spring “remarkable” in this respect.
A recent report by the regulatory body revealed earlier this month electricity production in Georgia was up by 13.6 percent in 2021 compared to the previous year, while domestic consumption amounted to 13.3 percent.