Overview
The Shuakhevi Hydropower Project is the first scheme of the Adjaristsqali hydropower cascade. The project has been constructed in Shuakhevi and Khulo municipalities with an overall installed capacity of 187 MW (comprising of 178 MW plant at Shuakhevi and a small 9.8 MW plant on Skhalta River). The Shuakhevi scheme comprises two dams with reservoirs and one weir on the Adjaristsqali, Skhalta and Chirukhistskali Rivers.
The water is diverted from the Chirukhistskali River to the Skhalta valley via a transfer tunnel. A small reservoir with an approximate maximum capacity of 748,000 m3 with a surface area of 117,000 m2 and an 18m high rock-fill barrage have been constructed on the Skhalta river. A small powerhouse (9 MW) is also constructed on the Skhalta dam using the water being transferred from Chirukhistskali River. In order to transfer water from Skhalta Valley to the Adjaristsqali river valley, a 9.3 km long x 5.2 m diameter transfer tunnel has been constructed from between Skhalta and Didachara.
Didachara dam and a reservoir are located just downstream of the confluence of the Adjaristsqali and Ghorjomi rivers. The dam is a 52 Mtr high concrete dam with maximum reservoir capacity is 998,000 m3 with a surface area of 152,500 m2. The headrace intake structure is on the right bank. Transfer of the water to the Shuakhevi powerhouse is achieved through a 17.8 km long x 6.2 m diameter main headrace tunnel. In total, the Shuakhevi Hydropower Project is comprising of about 37.7 km of tunnels and 11 tunnel Construction Adits.
The Shuakhevi power plant is located on the right bank of the Adjaristsqali river in the Shuakhevi municipality. Two Generator units with Francis type turbines have been installed, with an installed capacity of 89.3 MW each. On the right side of the power plant, a 220 KV voltage substation has been constructed, through which the power generation from Shuakhevi HPP is fed into the Georgian National Electricity grid using 220 KV Batumi-Akhaltsikhe transmission lines.
178 MW Shuakhevi HPP started production of electricity in March 2020. Skhalta HPP (9 MW), which is also part of the overall scheme of the Shuakhevi project is expected to start operation by the end of summer.
Project Technical Data
| Project Components | Key Parameters |
| Chirukhi Weir | Concrete gravity weir with 2 Radial Gates for Flood Management; Height – 7 m; Reservoir – Diversion weir; storage Nil |
| Diversion Tunnel | Tunnel length – 6.3 km; Tunnel diameter – 4.2 m; Capacity - 10 m3/s. |
| Skhalta Powerhouse | HPP type – underground; Installed capacity – 9 MW; Turbine type – Francis; Number of turbines 3 units (3 x 3 MW). |
| Skhalta Dam and Reservoir | Weir type - Rockfill dam with concrete core; Weir height - 17 m; Reservoir type - daily regulation. |
| Skhalta-Didachara Diversion Tunnel | Tunnel length - 9.2 km; Tunnel diameter- 5.2 m; Capacity - 25 m3/s. |
| Didachara Dam and Reservoir | Dam type - Concrete dam; Dam height - 55 m; Reservoir type - daily regulation. |
| Didachara-Shuakhevi Headrace Tunnel | Tunnel length - 17.8 km; Tunnel diameter - 6.2 m; Capacity - 48 m³/s. |
| Shuakhevi Powerhouse | HPP type - Surface; Installed capacity - 178 MW; Water flow - 48 m3/s; Turbine type- Francis; Number of turbines - 2 units (2 x 87.5 MW). |
Project Map
