Meetings with locals have continued

The ESG team of CCEH Hydro VI's Bakhvi 1 HPP Project together with the technical team continued a series of meetings with stakeholder groups. Most recently, the company management members met with the local residents of the project area adjacent villages Mtispiri, Okroskedi, Ukanava and Vaniskedi. The meeting was attended by local government members, Maia Chavleshvili, Ozurgeti Mayor's Representative in the Mtispiri Administrative Unit, and Roman Vanadze, Assistant Mayor's Representative in the Mtispiri community.

During the meeting company's ESG Manager David Mikeladze presented the locals with Bakhvi 1 HPP Project and explained the details of related environmental and social aspects. Valeri Khachidze, Deputy Project Manager, presented to the attending audience the project location and its technical characteristics.

Each meeting in a series was held in a Q&A format. All the questions of the locals were answered thoroughly and the meetings continued with a discussion on social needs the village residents face.

"It is our company's good will, in case the project is implemented, to assume responsibility for implementation of the social projects that are significant for the locals. We initiated the communication, heed the opinion of the local community members and hope to settle on such significant and needed projects that we will be able to implement considering the overall project budget. It should also be noted that the company intends to employ local residents at both the hydropower plant construction and operation phases. We put an emphasis on bringing positive changes to the country overall and specifically the residents of the villages in the vicinity of the project area," said David Mikeladze, Project ESG Manager.

The meetings in the villages were held outdoors, in full compliance with COVID related regulations. During the series of meetings, the company representatives met with total of about one hundred local residents.