The processes related to tender for the hydropower plant project Engurhesi rehabilitation will have to be completed by the end of April 2019 - Engurhesi Director Levan Mebonia told Bm.ge The Engurhesi rehabilitation project is financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). EBRD already allocated 28 million euro to Georgia. The aim of the project is to build sustainability and resilience against climate change. The budget for the tunnel reconstruction in total is 35 million Euro, of which 28 million Euro is the EBRD loan and 7 million EU grant.
One of the aims of the project is to increase the effectiveness of the power plant. In particular, after the rehabilitation, the power plant will generate 2% more power. The tenders are divided into four lots including restoring hydromechanical and electromechanical systems, construction of the road leading to the hydropower plant, wastewater treatment, and renovation of the tunnel. The works will begin in 2019 and during March-April 2020 the power plant will stop operating for three months to renovate the tunnel. “There will be a partial renovation of the tunnel since 3 months is not enough time to fully reconstruct 15-kilometer long tunnel. We are planning to reconstruct the most hazardous parts of the tunnel which is 1.5 km" – states Mebonia. Engurhesi is Georgia's largest electricity supplier, supplying 30% of overall electricity in Georgia.
