The Messenger

Monday, March 28, 2005, #055 (0829)

Energy crisis worsens

Country plunged into darkness as gas and electricity switched off to most
regions
By Christina Tashkevich

Georgia has been paralyzed by another energy crisis over the last few days:
the country’s regions have been virtually without electricity for several
days, and in Tbilisi too there have been severe curtailments.

Furthermore, while half of Tbilisi was last week in darkness because of the
failure of the electricity system, several regions also had their gas supply
disconnected because of ongoing rehabilitation work on gas pipelines being
carried out by Tbilgazi.

Officials say the crisis is a result of several factors. Prime Minister
Zurab Noghaideli noted that problems with electricity supply are largely the
result of damage caused by an avalanche two weeks ago to both Russian and
Georgian sections of the Kavkasioni high transmission line providing Georgia
with Russian electricity.

On Saturday Noghaideli went to Kodori Gorge to see the damaged Georgian
section of the line.

“Because of the accident affecting Kavkasioni the water resources in
Georgian hydroelectric stations, including Enguri, were exhausted,” Minister
of Energy Nika Gilauri said on Friday, adding that the cold weather had also
contributed to the crisis.

Answering public protests that what electricity there was had been unfairly
distributed, Gilauri said “there was such a deficit in the system over the
last few days that there was no schedule at all.” He promised that
electricity resources would be “optimally distributed” even to the regions
from now on.

Minister Gilauri thinks that such a crisis was inevitable. “The whole system
has depended on imports for years, and not on local sources,” he said.

Gilauri reported that the situation was improving, however. On Thursday the
Salkhino transmission line was put into operation, he said, providing the
system with an additional 300 megawatt. In addition the third power unit at
Tbilsresi was switched on after rehabilitation following a fire in January.

“But, of course, it’s not enough to fully overcome energy crisis,” Gilauri
said.

On Friday Telasi announced that Vake, Saburtalo, Vera and Dighomi districts
have no problems in electricity supply because according to the existing
supply scheme those districts get direct supplies from Armenia through the
Alaverdi line.

Gilauri thinks that another line of electricity imports from Azerbaijan
could be opened, although he added that this would mean overcoming some
technical difficulties.

“We will make a final decision on the Enguri rehabilitation issue soon,” the
minister added, saying that in the meantime the government would work
according to a plan to provide Georgia with a 24-hour electricity supply
from October 2006.

Several Georgian MPs linked the crisis to the issue of the Russian military
bases in Georgia, although Prime Minister Noghaideli dismissed this, saying
“this should not be linked with the withdrawal of Russian bases from
Georgia.”

The PM noted that reconnecting Kavkasioni so as to permit renewed imports
from Russia was of vital importance, particularly given government plans to
disconnect Enguri hydroelectric power station for rehabilitation from the
beginning of April.

“It’s very important to us to resume imports from Russia at the level we
need while Enguri is being rehabilitated,” he said, adding that the
rehabilitation of Enguri would help prevent similar crises in the future.

The electricity crisis coincided with Tbilgazi’s rehabilitation work in
several Tbilisi districts, which meant gas supply was switched off.
Noghaideli said the government must find the reasons for the coincidence.

General Director of Tbilgazi David Morchiladze explained on Friday that “the
technical state of the pipeline system is bad and we are doing minimal
rehabilitation work to make it more safe.”

Morchiladze thinks the government must work out an energy security program
must to avoid another potential crisis next winter.

The crisis is set to continue: while the citizens of Tbilisi suburbs closed
roads and even the railway on Friday in protest, Gilauri predicted that
“this situation will last for approximately one week.”

Saakashvili calls for patience, better government

On Saturday, President Mikheil Saakashvili issued a statement regarding the
energy crisis in the country in which he said that “the crisis will continue
till new energy plants start operating,” adding that “construction of new
plants is being launched and one of them will start operating by the end of
this year.”

The President accused some officials of making the situation worse by not
paying “proper attention towards the population.”

He complained, for example, that the government “learned about a 10 day gap
in water supply in Mtatsminda-Krtsanisi and Ponichala districts only after
the population had blocked the traffic.”

“The gamgebeli (district governor) didn’t even meet the people and never got
interested in their problems. He should quit … Every governor who ignores
people will be strictly punished,” Saakashvili stressed.

The president said that Minister of Energy Gilauri is working to resolve the
energy crisis, but “won’t be able to build in only a few months what was
being ruined during the past 14 years.”

“The only solution is to produce our own electricity, as we all have seen
what it is to be depended on Russia,” he added.