Enguri HPP is shutting down for several months — what awaits Abkhazia?

Enguri HPP, which supplies electricity to both the Georgian and the Abkhaz sides, will halt operations for several months in 2021. Levan Mebonia, chairman of the Board of Directors of Enguri HPP LLC, talks to Netgazeti about why Enguri HPP is shutting down and how Abkhazia will be supplied with electricity during that period.

— Mr Mebonia, as we know, the rehabilitation of the Enguri HPP diversion tunnel is planned for the end of February 2021 and should be completed in June of the same year. What condition is the tunnel in now, and what risks are there today, given that it is due for repair?

— The repair of the Enguri HPP diversion tunnel is scheduled from the second half of February 2021 through May. An inspection of the tunnel was carried out in February 2017. It was during that process that the weak points needing repair were identified.

Under the original design, the diversion tunnel was to be inspected every five years, and the scope of rehabilitation was to be established on that basis. The last repair of the diversion tunnel was carried out in 2006. The inspection carried out in 2017 revealed a number of places where seepage has increased. That means the diversion tunnel needs repair.

There is no risk at present that the diversion tunnel will collapse or that any disaster will occur. Repair is nonetheless essential, so that the processes already under way do not develop further and lead to unforeseen consequences. In addition, the seepage identified in the diversion tunnel causes a considerable loss in electricity generation. Because of seepage and the roughness of the tunnel, Enguri HPP loses about 250 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. We hope that after the rehabilitation this figure will be at least halved.

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