Georgian Energy Minister announces Orbeli HPP building tender
TBILISI. Sept 28 (Interfax) - Georgia's Energy and Natural Resources Ministry announced on Friday a tender for the building on the river Ladzhanuri in Western Georgia the Orbeli Hydro Power Plant (HPP) with installed capacity of 18 megawatts.
The ministry told Interfax that the assumed investment cost would be about $50 million. Proposals from potential investors will be accepted to October 26, inclusive.
The tender was announced on the basis of queries from the Turkish company Ahlatci Energy Sanayi about building the HPP so as, per established Georgian procedure, the opportunity of taking part would be extended to other interested companies.
Orbeli HPP is part of the state program Renewable Energy, which was confirmed by the Georgian government in April of 2008 and which involves the building in the country 76 small and midsized HPPs with overall generating capacity of 1,382 mw. By now, more than half of them have already been built or are in the construction phase.
The main requirement the government has of investors, is that for ten years after the launch of the power station all electricity it generates during the winter period is to be sold only on the Georgian market and at other times of the year the owner of the HPP is free in its selection of buyers without restriction.