Representatives from the owners and the management team of Adjaristsqali Georgia LLC (AGL), together with central and local government officials, gather today to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Shuakhevi Hydro Project. This event marks the beginning of the construction of the 183 MW hydro project, the first of two or three hydropower projects planned on the Adjaristsqali river and its tributaries. The project is being developed in cooperation with the Clean Energy Group, Tata Power and IFC InfraVentures, an early stage project developer launched by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group.
The Shuakhevi project comprises two dams and reservoirs. A small powerhouse (5,8MW) will be constructed on the Skhalta River using the water being transferred from the Chirukhistsqali River. The main power unit (178MW) will be constructed in Shuakhevi municipality utilizing the water from the Chirukhistsqali, Skhalta, and Adjaristsqali Rivers.
The project will be one of the largest foreign direct investment projects in Georgia to date, and a main contributor to export earnings for the country. The project will contribute to social-economic development and significantly increase the area’s tax income.
The civil contractor has already started mobilization to the site, with full construction beginning in early October. The construction period is scheduled to take three years and nine months and commercial operations are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2017.
