TBILISI, OCT. 6 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Georgian government unveiled the 20.7MW Kartli Wind Farm, Georgia’s first large-scale wind farm which is considered a key milestone towards both boosting its power production and increasing its green energy footprint.
Kartli Wind Power Plant, a joint venture owned by the Georgian Energy Development Fund (GEDF) and Oil and Gas Company of Georgia, manages the project, which cost $34m to build. GEDF is part-owned by the EBRD, which loaned $22m for the project.
At the inauguration ceremony near the town of Gori in central Georgia, PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili lauded the project and highlighted its importance.
“This project is an indication that Georgia is becoming a truly developed country with leading technologies,” Mr Kvirikashvili said.
“This wind farm will enable us to partly meet our electricity demand during winter time.”
The government has pushed for the development of wind projects across the country to increase domestic production and limit the growth in imports during the winter months.
In the summer, Georgia exports its electricity surplus from its hydropower plants, mainly to Russia and Turkey.
The Kartli wind farm aims to reduce the winter gap and lower carbon emissions.
The EBRD also praised the project and said that it was ready to lend more funds to develop the country’s renewable energies.
“The EBRD stands ready to support Georgia in promoting renewable energy sources and this project confirms our determination to continue making significant investments in renewable energy,” Aida Sitdikova, EBRD’s regional director for Energy, said in a statement.
The Kartli Wind Farm is the biggest wind power project in the South Caucasus although Azerbaijan said it was considering erecting a wind farm in the Caspian Sea.
Power production has become a major headache for governments in the region as they try to feed electricity to growing populations and also replace aging Soviet infrastructure.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 299, published on Oct. 7 2016)