Georgia's PM Claims Foreign-Funded Groups Halted Hydropower Projects

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused foreign-funded groups of sabotaging two major hydropower projects.

Hydropower projects in Georgia have long drawn street protests, but Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze now says some groups went further, engaging in sabotage and demands for stakes in energy projects. The PM pointed to the controversial Namakhvani project and the Khadori 3 plant in Pankisi Gorge as examples that faced intense resistance, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.

Kobakhidze claimed that certain individuals created artificial barriers and later sought to join projects as shareholders. He warned that no one will be allowed to profit at the expense of state and private sector interests. He also alleged that foreign-funded groups carried out “economic sabotage” against national interests, causing losses in the tens of millions of lari.

“We were once too weak to counter sabotage, but today the state is strong enough to ensure the smooth implementation of large projects,” he said, adding that future energy policy will be guided by consultations with engineers, energy specialists, and the private sector.

Energy expert Murman Margvelashvili said the allegations require serious, impartial investigation. “If such an inquiry is conducted, it could be very instructive,” he told Rezonansi. Analyst Amiran Salukvadze added that as many as 100 hydropower projects have been stalled by protests, some of which he described as suspiciously well organized.