Georgian Ministry of Economy denied reports on the Rioni Gorge’s transfer into the ownership of ENKA Company. It tagged the allegation as a lie and aimed at escalation of tension.

Investor ENKA Company got the long-term tenancy right on the territory of the future Namakhvani HPP cascade construction. That is an acceptable practice, the ministry reported.

ENKA Company invested USD 800 million in the project. Also, ENKA is obliged to construct the Kutaisi-Alpana-Mamisoni road based on the agreement signed between the Georgian government and the investor.

The company is prohibited from using the land for other purposes or hand them over to a third person.

The Namakhvani HPP cascade construction by ENKA Renewables would be carried out on the Rioni River in the Tskaltubo and Tsageri municipalities. It is one of the largest energy projects, and its total installed capacity amounts to 433 MW. The cascade project envisages the construction of two dams in the Rioni Gorge.

Locals object to the construction works. On February 2, the non-governmental sector held a press conference on the resumption of construction work by ENKA at the Namakhvani HPP, defying the locals’ protest.

The NGOs accentuate that despite serious non-compliance, based on insufficient, poor quality data submitted by the company, the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture still approved the project and issued an environmental decision.