Economy Minister to meet locals who protest against Namakhvani HPP in tents
Economy Minister to meet locals who protest against Namakhvani HPP in tents

Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava and Minister of Environment Protection Levan Davitashvili met locals in Tsageri to answer questions about the Namakhvani HPP construction project on Friday.

The Minister of Economy called constructive the meeting held at the Tsageri Culture House at PM’s instruction. Natia Turnava answered asked questions and told the locals that she would also meet with so-called Guards of the Rioni Gorge protesting against the cascade project in tents.

“We will probably agree on the format for the next meeting to be organized in a more adapted environment. Experts from both sides will attend the meeting to talk about problematic issues,” Natia Turnava claimed.

Natia Turnava also echoed the NGOs’ demand to suspend construction due to environmental issues. The Economy Minister said the government had qualified answers to the questions related to Namakhvani HPP, including the safety issue.

The non-governmental sector sees the agreement between the Georgian government and the Turkish company ENKA Renewables Ltd as favourable for the investor and believes the construction poses several risks to the country.

The Georgian government and ENKA Renewables Ltd signed a perpetual build-own-operate agreement back in 2019. ENKA has been awarded the rights to develop, construct, own and operate the Namakhvani HPP Cascade Project in Georgia.