Dariali Hydropower Plant, referred to as Dariali HPP, is a 108 MW

run-of-the-river Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amou ...

hydropower plant built in 2017 in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. It is located on the Tergi River in

Kazbegi Municipality Kazbegi ( ka, ყაზბეგის მუნიციპალიტეტი) is a district of Georgia, in the region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti in east-north Georgia. The main settlement is Stepantsminda, accounting for about half of the total ...

, at less than 1 km from the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

border, 160 km far from

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

.Dariali Hydro Power Plant Construction and Operation Project (Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Reportt).
''Darial Energy LLC''. Issued in 2011. Retrieved on 2014-16-07. It is a diversion-type facility, including a small upstream

diversion dam A diversion dam is a dam that diverts all or a portion of the flow of a river from its natural course. Diversion dams do not generally impound water in a reservoir; instead, the water is diverted into an artificial water course or canal, which ...

, a 5 km-long, 5 m diameter headrace tunnel, and a downstream underground power house. With an overall

installed capacity Nameplate capacity, also known as the rated capacity, nominal capacity, installed capacity, or maximum effect, is the intended full-load sustained output of a facility such as a power station,

reaching 108 MW (three vertical Pelton turbines 36 MW each), Dariali HPP was the fourth largest hydropower plant in Georgia on the date of its commission. More importantly, it was the largest to be built in Georgia since its independence in 1991. It is expected to generate an average electricity output of 510 GWh per year for the National Grid, to which it is connected via Dariali 110kV transmission overhead line. The project was launched in 2011, its funding was approved in May 2014 and boring works started later this year. The underground construction was completed in April 2015, and the whole facility was commissioned in April 2017.

Funding

Total cost of the project was $123 million, fairly close from the initially-planned $120 million, 23% of which correspond to the state contribution. The agreement on construction was signed between the Government of Georgia and the company Dariali Energy JSC on May 19, 2011.New hydro plant is coming up in Dariali Gorge.
''Georgian America''. Retrieved on 2014-16-07. Before EBRD loan approval the company had actively used the domestic (more expensive) resource to boost the project development as much as possible. The company is supported by a top European project engineering conglomerate (Landsvirkjun Power & Verkis) (Iceland) which provides the project's engineering supervision and preparation and implementation of the construction project. Construction and electromechanical contracts have been executed according to FIDIC standards, which makes the employer-contractor relationship the most transparent and effective. In August 2014, the company Dariali Energy JSC and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development signed loan agreement for up to US 80 million for the financing of the development, construction and operation of Dariali HPP, which comprises the first project financing and first successful public-private partnership project in energy sector of Georgia. This project is one of the first energy projects in Georgia to rely on limited recourse to the Sponsors and, under an A/B loan syndication structure, could provide a demonstration of new financing methods to other project developers in the market. EMEA Finance's Project Finance Awards 2014 awarded Dariali Energy JSC for the Best water project in Central and Eastern Europe.

Environment

According to the environmental and social policies of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (

EBRD The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is an international financial institution founded in 1991. As a multilateral developmental investment bank, the EBRD uses investment as a tool to build market economies. Initially foc ...

), the project was awarded the “A” category. The categorization is based largely on the specific location of the proposed project and sensitive environment connected to the development of hydropower plants in Georgia, in general. The project is in full compliance with EC European Energy Policy adopted in 2007 and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (enacted by Kyoto Protocol in 2005), which appeals to all states to concentrate efforts towards increasing of energy consumption efficiency through increased utilization of renewable energy sources and decrease of environmental degradation. As a diversion-type run-of-the-river power plant, Dariali HPP required a very limited flooding the upper part of the river (the upstream impounding pond volume is 7,000 m³ ), and a reduced construction magnitude, thus drastically decreasing the environmental impact of the project both in short and long-term perspectives. Dariali HPP features a fish path, which should create close to natural conditions to the local river ichtyofauna (namely brown trout). The company is committed to maintain the biodiversity and for this purpose the Aquatic Biodiversity Action Plan by the Blue Rivers Environmental Consulting company has been developed. The Project claims to be the first

carbon neutral Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the "p ...

energy project construction in Georgia. In order to compensate for entire

lifecycle Life cycle, life-cycle, or lifecycle may refer to: Science and academia * Biological life cycle, the sequence of life stages that an organism undergoes from birth to reproduction ending with the production of the offspring *Life-cycle hypothesis ...

GHG emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and larg ...

of the project (construction works and operation), the project includes a reforestation component. 200 hectares of forest are set to be planted by 2021 in the nearby Kazbegi Municipality. The use of Dariali HPP hydropower instead of new fossil-fueled capacities will cause the reduction of more than 250,000 tons of greenhouse gas annually, and reduce Georgia's dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Local impacts

Electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

demand in Georgia has been on the rise since 2009 and

investment Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of some present asset, such as time, money, or effort. In finance, the purpose of investing i ...

s in new

generation A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–⁠30 years, during which children are born and gr ...

capacity were lagging behind.Galdava, Irakli, Eric Livny and Norberto Pignatti
Khudoni and Georgia’s Energy Policy Dilemma: Go Green or Go Greedy.
''The ISET Economist'', June 14, 2013. Retrieved on 2014-30-06. Georgia has a huge economically viable hydroelectricity generation potential (about 27 TWh/year), although only about a third of it was tapped (8,5 GWh/year) in the 2010s, allowing a large increase in future installed capacity. The Dariali HPP generated electricity will be consumed in winter locally and exported in summer. There are plans to export the electricity to

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

countries, but if Georgia's economy develops further, it will be used to cover domestic needs. According to the

the project will strengthen the private energy sector in

where

state owned State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownersh ...

generators account for 45% of

electricity consumption Electric energy consumption is the form of energy consumption that uses electrical energy. Electric energy consumption is the actual energy demand made on existing electricity supply for transportation, residential, industrial, commercial, and o ...

. Construction of Dariali HPP aimed at developing the hydroelectric potential of the Tergi River. Income growth of Kazbegi municipality and the whole region is also expected. Construction works generated 420 jobs and plant operation requires another 70, both mostly attributed to local residents. The facility will make an annual contribution of Lari 2,5 million to the local budget as a result of the property tax. The contractor is also involved in various social activities (for example, it sponsors the children's rugby team in Kazbegi).

Opposition

The critique focuses on the fact that the project will divert about 90% of Tergi’s water leaving an approximate 8 km section of the Tergi River with minimum environmental flow only. That is particularly problematic since the HPP borders with the territory of the

Kazbegi Stepantsminda ( ka, სტეფანწმინდა; formerly Kazbegi, ), is a townlet in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region of north-eastern Georgia. Historically and ethnographically, the town is part of the Khevi province. It is the center of ...

National park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

. At present the possible impact on biodiversity especially brown trout listed in the Georgia Red List is being investigated and if any, relevant mitigation measures will be developed. The landscape on this section of the gorge will also change. One of the more known

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

s, Green Alternative, has warned already in 2012 about the increased risk of

natural disaster A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econ ...

s due to inadequate analysis of the

hydrological Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

regime of the Tergi river and its tributaries, glacial rivers with large fall of stream, significant sedimentation drift and mudflow currents during heavy rain and snowmelt periods.Statement on the natural disaster in the Dariali gorge.
''Green Alternative'', May 19, 2014. Retrieved on 2014-18-07. It has filed a complaint against the company Dariali Energy,Environmental group warned about landslide risk.
''DFWatch'', May 17, 2014. Retrieved on 2014-18-07. but it failed to win the cases. There was a case

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...

already (in May 2014), when around 1,5 million cubic metres of landmass crashed down the mountainside and deposited in Tergi River, causing human deaths and destroying of the roads. However, there is no confirmation of the contribution of the Dariali HPP construction to this dangerous natural phenomenon.

References

{{Reflist, 33em

External links