Russian Energy Giant Wants to Privatize Georgian Power Facilities

Andrei Rappoport, deputy chief of the Russian power giant United Energy Systems (UES), told reporters his July 22 talks with the Georgian leadership that the UES seeks to privatize the power facilities in Georgia.

Rappoport met with Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, Economy Minister Kakha Bendukidze and Energy Minister Nika Gilauri in Tbilisi on July 22.

Andrei Rappoport told reporters that the UES wants to buy power stations in Georgia, ?especially? the country’s largest hydro power plant on the Enguri river, which lies on the administrative border with breakaway Abkhazia.

However, Enguri hydro power station was not placed on the list of those 372 state-run enterprises which will be privatized by Georgia within the next two years. The list was published by the Georgian Economy Ministry on July 15.

?I am not so crazy yet to sell our hydro power station, which is located in the conflict zone,? Georgian Economy Minster Kakha Bendukidze said at a news briefing on July 15.

However, the list includes five other hydro power stations, the Rioni, Shaori, Lajanuri, Gumati and Dzevruli, which are all located in western Georgia and represent a total capacity of about 250 megawatts.

The Russian energy giant already owns 75% of the shares in the Telasi company, which distributes electricity in the Georgian capital Tbilisi.

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