Summary sheet
Ministry of Energy
Contact point: Ms Marika Valishvili, First Deputy Minister
The project consists of the construction of a 500 kV link between the existing substations of Gardbani (near Tbilisi) to Zestaponi (in west Georgia) along a route already identified in 1980. The length of the 500 kV line will be 280 km. A new back–to-back HVDC 600-800 MW converter station will be constructed near the town of Akhaltsikhe, close to the Turkish border where it will be interconnected to the Turkish grid. The interconnection to Turkey will be on 400 kV level, and the length of this power line is 130 km (of which 110 km on Turkish side).
The project will facilitate the development of renewable energy resources in Georgia, encourage electricity trading between countries in the Black Sea region and will contribute to the improvement of the security and quality of electricity supply in the domestic market. The project will be undertaken with the full support of the Ministry of Energy.
Due to its size and technical characteristics, the project, if located within the EU, would fall under Annex I of Directive 97/11/EC and would thus require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The Government of Georgia has undertaken to conduct an EIA for the transmission links in line with the Bank’s environmental requirements. The EIA process shall be completed before start of works. Potential social and environmental impacts including possible impacts on sites of nature conservation and measures to mitigate these impacts will be reviewed during appraisal.
Procurement shall be undertaken in accordance with the Bank’s Procurement Guidelines. The details of procedures will be reviewed during the appraisal.
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