OREANDA-NEWS. February 04, 2013. Georgia’s largest power plant, Enguri Hydro Power Plant, will be able to sell carbon credits earned thanks to an EBRD-financed energy efficiency project. The EBRD investment from 1998 in the total amount of USD 70 million was used to upgrade all five units and increase the plant’s operational capacity, reported the press-centre of EBRD.

The project has now been registered under the Kyoto Protocols’ Clean Development Mechanism and is estimated to generate over 5.8 million carbon credits over the ten-year crediting period. These credits can now be sold on global carbon markets to businesses and governments that are close to exceeding their greenhouse gas emission quotas.

The largest power source in Georgia, the Enguri Hydro Power Plant is located on the Enguri river and provides c. 40% of Georgia’s domestic power supply. The EBRD-financed improvements, including introducing state-of-art-technology and building capacity, reduce the need to use electricity from fossil fuel power stations; help Georgia cut imports of expensive natural gas used for power generation and increase country’s energy security by replacing natural gas with renewable domestic hydropower.

“Since 1998 the EBRD has been consistently supporting upgrades at Enguri hydro power plant to increase its energy efficiency. Most recently the Bank has helped build capacity to enable the plant monetise the environmental benefits of cutting greenhouse gas emissions,” says Friso de Jong, Carbon Manager at the EBRD. “We are now very proud that the latest project to refurbish the plant has been registered under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism and will allow the plant to monetise its CO2 emission reduction potential. It is another prominent achievement for Georgia and the wider region, that so far has struggled to benefit from carbon trading,” he added.

The rehabilitation of the Enguri HPP is the fourth Clean Development Mechanism registered project located in Georgia. The registration process was initiated by Engurhesi, the company implementing the project, and was assisted by ICF International, engaged by the EBRD.

Most recently a thermal power plant in Azerbaijan, AzDRES, has been registered under the Clean Development Mechanism and is now able to sell carbon credits earned thanks to an EBRD-supported energy efficiency modernisation project.

Engurhesi Ltd is 100% state-owned and overseen by the Ministry of Energy of Georgia. It is a sole owner and operator of the Enguri HPP. For further information visit: www.engurhesi.ge. 

ICF Consulting Ltd., a subsidiary of ICF International (NASDAQ:ICFI) is a global professional services firm that partners with government and commercial clients to deliver consulting services and technology solutions in the fields of climate change, energy and power markets, and the environment. ICF Consulting Ltd. is Carbon Manager in MCCF’s South-East Zone, which covers Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Visit ICF at www.icfi.com.