The Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Mariam Kvrivishvili, met with representatives of the energy sector. The minister introduced to them the ongoing processes, government vision, and new initiatives for the development of the field.
Mariam Kvrivishvili made a special emphasis on the decision to write fines for investors – the total volume of fines collected by the state is 1 billion GEL. According to the minister, the fines were due to several factors – mainly delaying deadlines, as well as failure to fulfill the responsibility of the companies under the memorandum.
“Writing fines is a historic, very important decision for the field. Communication and feedback with the private sector helps us in the process of working, to be as effective as possible in decision-making in terms of promoting investments,” said Mariam Kvrivishvili.
According to the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, for the rapid development of the energy sector, the Georgian government has taken a very important step by waiving fines, and this is the basis for starting a fresh, clean slate and continuing cooperation between the state and the energy sector.
According to the Minister, identified in the process of working with the sector, the main challenge was the fines component, which caused the delay of most of the energy projects. According to Mariam Kvrivishvili, after removing the biggest barrier in the relationship with the energy sector in the last few weeks with the forgiveness of fines, the Ministry is actively working on signing a large number of relevant categories of memorandums related to energy project research, construction, etc.
“Energy is objectively a particularly important sector today for the Georgian economy, towards energy security and independence of the country, which has many positive effects in the direction of proper development of the country.” The process of writing off fines will be transparent and fair, – said Mariam Kvrivishvili.
The minister stressed that the fines will be forgiven with conditions and instructions, the first and foremost being to set new terms according to the nature of the projects – solar, wind, or hydro projects, as well as based on the status of the project, whether it is under construction. According to Mariam Kvrivishvili, in order for the state and the private sector to have more clarity in this process, it is necessary to make it clear to everyone which projects will be implemented at what time frames, both by the state and by the investors.
During the meeting with representatives of the energy sector, the Minister also discussed new approaches to supporting investment projects. Special attention was given to the needs of projects important for the development of the energy sector and the role of the state in the process of their implementation.
“We have started active work to ensure that, early next year, the sector, particularly on large projects that are and will be important for the development of the energy sector, will present the State’s position on how it can support such large, important projects with a different approach, as far as possible, in various instruments,” – The Minister of Economy said.
In addition, Mariam Kvrivishvili spoke about the plans of the energy sector and noted that she plans to integrate the state sector into existing programs, including “Produce in Georgia.
“The main goal of our ministry is to put energy projects into operation as quickly as possible, so that the country can reduce its dependence on energy imports and become fully self-sufficient in terms of electricity supply, – noted Mariam Kvrivishvili.
Deputy Minister Inga Pkhaladze, General Director of “Georgian State Electricity System” Vano Zardiashvili, and ESCO General Director Tornike Kazarashvili attended the meeting with representatives of the energy sector.
