Working Meeting of the Advisory Board of the Bakhvi 1 Hydropower Plant

On March 16, 2022, another meeting of the Project Management and Environmental and Social Affairs Board was held at the Ozurgeti office of Bakhvi 1 Hydropower Plant (M. Kostava 25, Ozurgeti).  The purpose of the meeting was to summarize the public hearings on the environmental impact assessment of Bakhvi 1 hydropower plant, which were organized by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia in February in Chokhatauri, Chkhakaura, Ozurgeti and Mtispiri villages; also, the representatives of Bakhvi 1 HPP informed the members of the Board about the social projects planned in the second quarter of 2022 in the villages of Ozurgeti and Chokhatauri municipalities - Mtispiri, Chkhakaura and Bakhmaro resort.

"We have moved to the stage when we are starting to fulfill our promises. We have mentioned many times that we have developed a social program together with the population of the villages adjacent to the project area of the Bakhvi 1 hydroelectric power plant and members of the Advisory Board, and it fully meets the needs of the villages. Our main goal is to make the program sustainable and to get specific positive results. We have the ambition to change life for the better in communities that are close to the project. As a company with high social responsibility, within our capabilities, we want to contribute to the development of the local community and start working on projects that will make daily life easier for locals," said Mikheil Nibladze, director of "CCEH Hydro VI", the company implementing the Bakhvi 1 hydropower plant project.

Projects for the second quarter of 2022:

1. From April 2022, an assistance program will be launched for persons with disabilities living in 4 villages of Mtispiri community of Ozurgeti municipality (Mtispiri, Vaniskedi, Okroskedi, Ukanava) and people with disabilities living in the village of Chkhakaura of Chokhatauri municipality;

2. From April 1 to April 3, 2022, training will be held for teachers of Mtispiri and Chkhakaura public schools and Mtispiri Kindergarten, with the aim of acquainting them with the key directions of general education reform and teaching them to plan, manage and evaluate the educational process. The training course will be led by representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia;

3. From April 2022, an awareness-raising training course in the field of energy and innovation will be launched for the seniors of Mtispiri Public School in the field of non-formal education. The duration of the course is three months. From September 2022, the course will be renewed and will include the public school in the village of Chkhakaura. The special curriculum is designed for students in grades 9 to12;

4. In March 2022, the "Tea Road Association" support program was launched as part of the CCEH Partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Economic Security Program. The Bakhvi 1 hydropower project will strengthen the "Tea Road Association", so that the association can promote high quality tea production, as well as the use of tea culture, which will develop new opportunities in the hospitality sector, attract tourists and create additional jobs;

5. From Summer 2022, a LED lighting system will be installed on the main street of the resort Bakhmaro. New lighting poles will be installed through the project and underground wiring will be arranged. This project, on the one hand, will save finances and electricity, and on the other hand, will create an opportunity for additional positioning for the resort - in terms of innovative technologies and energy efficient solutions. The project is part of the CCEH Partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Energy Future Program.

An interesting discussion was held at the meeting of the Environmental Protection and Social Affairs Advisory Board of the Bakhvi 1 hydropower plant with exchange of views related to the planned projects. The Advisory Board members shared their recommendations with company representatives.

To remind you, the Bakhvi 1 Hydroelectric Power Plant Environmental and Social Affairs Advisory Board is a deliberative body created at the initiative of the company, which aims to increase stakeholder involvement in the process and make the project more transparent. The Board consists of 12 independent members nominated from Chokhatauri and Ozurgeti municipalities. Representatives of various sectors are represented in the Board, namely, local governmental and non-governmental organizations, the media and business.