EDF presented Georgia’s hydro management roadmap to improve the quality of hydroelectric forecasts by GSE
Wednesday, September 15
French company EDF (Electricite de France) has presented to the Georgian State Electrosystem (GSE) a Hydro Power Roadmap that analyses the potentiality of hydroelectricity power from 2020 to 2035. This roadmap was co-financed by the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), KfW and the European Union (EU).
On September 9, Electricite de France (EDF), a French state-owned company has presented the hydro management roadmap (Hydrology and Reservoir Guide Project) to the GSE. The online event was held in presence of His Excellency Mr. Diego Colas, Ambassador of France to Georgia.
The presented Hydrology and Reservoir Guide module was developed by EDF with the involvement of GSE staff. The aim of the module is to verify the possibility of predicting hydrology in Georgia on the example of the Rioni River. Based on the work done, GSE will be able to improve the management of the energy balance and the optimal use of available water resources.
“France is keen to support the energy sector in Georgia and has done so, in close partnership with the European Union and Germany, now for many years. The partnership between AFD and KfW, and between us and our Georgian partners GSE and the Ministry of Economy, is a very successful one. As part of this cooperation, EDF last year helped GSE develop the first Georgian national plan for the expansion of electricity production capacities over the next 15 years (2020-2035). As a follow up to the establishment of this plan, EDF and GSE prepared a roadmap to improve the quality of hydro forecasts In Georgia. The objective of this study is for Georgia to acquire the means to better develop forecasts of future hydro availability in Georgia, which can inform better programming of production and investment in this strategic sector. Better information mean better decision-making and better consultation with the public, which are key to modern, European, democratic development in Georgia.” said H.E. Mr. Diego Colas, Ambassador of France in Georgia.
The Technical Assistance financed by the AFD started in 2019, in parallel with the Public policy loan in the energy sector, co-financed by AFD, KfW and the European Union since 2018. The first activity was carried out until the end of the year 2020, with the implementation by GSE, and by the support of EDF, of the first national plan for the expansion of the electricity production capacity over fifteen years (2020-2035). The Hydro Road Map, roadmap linked to the use of water resources in regards with the hydroelectric production, is a second activity, that started in January 2021.
The goal of the project is to build a hydro management roadmap, which will define the priority list of actions to better evaluate expected river run-off and the streamflow:
• re-building a local hydrological measurement network
• hydrological model simulations based on local and recent dataset
• Building a forecast center
An objective assessment of Georgia's hydrological potential will facilitate the complex use of water resources and will have a positive impact on the country's economic development. Predicting hydrology will enable hydropower plants in Georgia to carry out safe management of reservoirs, to use cascading effectively, to determine the optimization of water resources and energy, energy surplus and shortage.
“The work completed by EDF and GSE provides a useful assessment and roadmap for the improvement of water resources management in Georgia. The actions proposed will be included in the programming under preparation with the Government of Georgia, to be implemented starting from 2022, with crucial impact on river monitoring and water management, necessary to address the increase demand of sectors as hydropower, irrigation, urban development, in the context of climate change.” said the Director of the AFD regional agency for the South Caucasus, Mr. Raphael Jozan.
The online presentation was attended by: Ucha Uchaneishvili, General Director of the Georgian State Electric System, Davit Tvalabeishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia (MOESD), representatives of Energo-Pro Georgia and hydropower plants, Georgian Energy Development Fund, Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC), the National Environmental Agency (NEA), and also the independent experts specializing in the renewable energy.
