MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

“Today we held another meeting with the group of Mestia population who had questions regarding the construction of the Mestiachala HPP in Svaneti. We once again informed the population on all the security measures envisaged in the project and talked about the details if why there is no threat to the environment not only in construction of the Mestiachala HPP but also in the implementation of any planned HPP projects in Georgia. We exchanged our positions and the question were given the detailed answers by the qualified experts,” – Romeo Mikautadze, the Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, stated upon the completion of the meeting held at the National Library with the participation of the Mestia population, invited specialists and experts, representatives of the non-governmental organizations and the HPP Construction Company – Svaneti Hydro.

As Romeo Mikautadze noted, the main topic of the discussion related to environmental, social-economic and other impacts of the HPP construction. According to Deputy Minister, the construction of HPP is being carried out using the using modern technical advances in the field, without arranging of a dam or flooding the river, but with the principle of pressure pipeline that excludes any significant impacts on the environment.

“I have been to Mestia a number of occasions and I have held number of meetings with the Mestia population – I have a constant communication with them. Today we held a meeting in Tbilisi with the participation of the specialists and experts and provided answers to their questions. At this meeting, I explained that each project implemented in the direction of hydro resources has to go through several steps before making a decision on construction. I know all the procedure that led to allowance of the construction stage of the Mestiacha HPP and I explain it in details to the local population. I also talked about the importance of the HPPs in general for our country’s energy security and independence,” – Roma Mikautadze commented.

According to the Deputy Minister, Mestiachala HPP construction is already launched, all the necessary legal and technical procedures have been followed in full compliance with the relevant regulations. However, the Ministry is always ready to answer any questions related to this project.

Total capacity of the Mestiachala HPP-1 and the Mestiachala HPP-2 amounts to 50 (20+30) MW, with the total generation of approximately 250 million kilowatt-hour. The total investment cost of the project equals to 65 million USD. Up to 300 people will be employed at various stages of the construction while 15 permanent workers will be imployed at the HPP upon completion of the construction. After the HPP is operative, it will generate the property tax of up to 1.5 million GEL to the local budget.