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Commercial operations begin at 178-MW Shuakhevi hydro in Georgia

Commercial operations begin at 178-MW Shuakhevi hydro in Georgia

Adjaristsqali Georgia LLC — a joint venture between Tata Power, Clean Energy Invest (CEI), and the International Financial Corporation (IFC) — today announced the start of commercial operation of the 178-MW Shuakhevi Hydro Power Project in southwest Georgia.

Further, Adjaristsqali Georgia said it will soon be commissioning  the 9-MW Skhalta Hydro Power project, which is a component of the overall Shuakhevi Project scheme.

According to a press release from Tata Power, Shuakhevi is the only project in Georgia’s energy sector that has been funded by three of the largest financial institutes: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group.

The project uses water diverted from flows of the upper parts of the Adjaristskali, Skhalta and Chirukhistskali rivers towards two reservoirs. It uses Skhalta Dam and its 19.4-hectare (48-acre) reservoir and Didachara Dam that has a 16.9-hectare (42-acre) reservoir. Its water conveyance system consists of three tunnels that have a cumulative length of 33.48 km and 3.75 km of construction adits.

The project will generate around 450 GWh of clean energy to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by more than 200,000 tonnes a year. The power generated by the project will be exclusively sold within Georgia throughout the winter, which is a period of energy deficit. The overall project cost is about US$500 million.

“The commercial operation of the Shuakhevi HPP is an  important milestone for Tata Power and its partners,” said Praveer Sinha, chief executive officer and managing director, Tata Power. “Shuakhevi HPP represents the largest and most influential energy project in the last 70 years. The success of the 178-MW Shuakhevi HPP cascades are crucial for the integrity, security and independence of energy in Georgia.“

Tata Power says it is India’s largest integrated power company and has an installed capacity of 10,763 MW.