Gov’t failed to protect Namakhvani project from outside interference, Vice Speaker

Georgia’s parliamentary deputy speaker Nino Tsilosani has said the government had failed to protect the Namakhvani hydropower project despite its “critical importance”, arguing that the episode exposed Georgia’s vulnerability to outside interference.

“Unfortunately, at that time the state was unable to protect this project,” Tsilosani said. She added that the experience showed “how weak the Georgian state was against external interference and the funded policies that were being pursued in this country”.

Tsilosani claimed the government had since changed its approach and was now resisting “externally driven agendas.”

“Georgia’s sovereignty is not only about its political protection, but also about protecting important economic projects,” she said.

Her comments came after reports about a US court ruling concerning Enka Renewables’ claim against Georgia over the Namakhvani project.

The US District Court for the District of Columbia issued a ruling on 11 September in the case concerning enforcement of the arbitration award issued in 2024 in Paris.

Georgia’s Deputy Justice Minister Beka Dzamashvili said the Washington proceedings did not concern the substance of the dispute and that Georgia was continuing to challenge the 2024 arbitration award before the Paris Court of Appeal.

The Namakhvani project, which was planned in western Georgia, was abandoned after prolonged public opposition and controversy over its environmental and economic implications. Enka subsequently initiated international arbitration against the Georgian state.