Russia requests electricity supply from Georgia, Azerbaijan amid shortages

Alexandra Panina, a board member of the Russian energy company Inter Rao, announced at the Russian tariff conference this week that Moscow had formally requested assistance from Georgia and Azerbaijan for electricity supply during emergency situations. The request involves a potential import of 300 MW of electricity from each country, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

“Yes, we have approached both Azerbaijan and Georgia to explore the possibility of importing electricity during emergency conditions,” Panina said. However, she noted as of now, there has been no response from either country on the request.

In addition to the emergency request, Inter Rao plans to export 300 MW of electricity to Georgia this fall. Panina acknowledged the challenges posed by regional shortages, saying, “Unfortunately, given the shortage in the south, we do not expect particularly large volumes of deliveries. But we still plan to deliver to Georgia. So far, we have a small volume, on which we have an agreement with the system operator, and we will have regular deliveries to Georgia throughout October.”

Currently, the Georgian State Energy System indicates that 47 MW of electricity is being supplied to Georgia from Russia via the Kavkasioni transmission line.

Data from the National Energy and Water Supply Regulation Commission of Georgia reveals that in the first eight months of this year, Georgia exported 864.9 million kWh of electricity to Turkey, 137.4 million kWh to Armenia, and 40.1 million kWh to Azerbaijan, while only supplying 1.2 million kWh to Russia. Additionally, in the first quarter of 2024, electricity imports from Russia to the occupied region of Abkhazia totaled 417.6 million kWh, while Georgia received 47.7 million kWh from Azerbaijan.