GruzRosEnergo finds break in Kavkasioni power line

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 4, 2005 Friday

GruzRosEnergo finds break in Kavkasioni power line

By Tengiz Pachkoria

TBILISI, March 4

Specialists from the GruzRosEnergo Georgian-Russian joint venture
have found a break in the Kavkasioni high-voltage power line, which
transmits electricity from Russia to Georgia. The power line was
damaged late on Wednesday night.

GruzRosEnergo head Shota Maisuradze told Itar-Tass on Friday that
snowfalls had damaged Kavkasioni in Karachayevo-Cherkessia, a
highland territory of Russia bordering on Georgia. GruzRosEnergo
specialists have the right to repair the power line on territories of
both countries.

“Bad weather prevents repairmen from reaching the damaged zone,” he
said. Several days may pass before they reach it, he added.

Russia’s average electricity exports by the Kavkasioni power line
make 300 megawatt (250 megawatt on regular hours and 350 megawatt on
peak hours), which meets about 20% of the domestic demand.

Currently Georgia receives electricity from a national hydropower
plant and 260 megawatt of electricity imported from Armenia. Snow
melting had raised the water level in the pond of Georgia’s largest
hydropower plant, Inguri, which made it possible to engage all the
three units of the power plant and produce 200 megawatt of
electricity more than usual.