HydroTech Georgia 2015

4 Featured interview: Mr Kakha Kaladze Minister Ministry of Energy Georgia Interview with Mr Kakha Kaladze, Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia, Minister of Energy of Georgia Georgia is the Chairing country of the Energy Charter in 2015 – what have been your key priorities of work and what outputs do you envisage by the end of the chairmanship? Georgia under its Chairmanship in 2015 proposed to foster Regional Cooperation through cross-border energy trade. The country as a connecting bridge between the North-South and East-West energy corridors of South Caucasus allocates a high priority to regional energy cooperation. The South Caucasus, which has been historically at the cross-roads of Eurasian trade, is moving towards an accelerated regional integration. The region plays an important role in contributing to energy security through a number of large infrastructure projects such as South Caucasus gas pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Supsa oil pipelines. Georgia is also particularly keen to promote cooperation on sustainable energy through the development of transit corridors both from North to South and from East to West to contribute to the energy security on regional and interregional scale. Energy cooperation among selected countries of the South Caucasus have already helped to develop physical interconnections and commercial relations. Nonetheless there is still scope for further expansion. Bilateral energy trade, including electricity, is an important element of regional cooperation. However, multilateral arrangements are required to make use of full regional potential and to benefit from economies of scale. In addition to that, considerable investments are necessary to develop interconnections and expand generating capacities, paying special attention to clean and sustainable energy sources. The Energy Charter as a unique multilateral instrument for international cooperation is in a position to provide the required framework for energy investments, cross-border trade and transit. As a result, the major objective of the 26th Meeting of the Energy Charter Conference in Tbilisi is to be a global forum for discussion of the issues related to the contribution of regional energy cooperation to the energy security on regional and interregional scale as an important element for international energy cooperation.

HydroTech Georgia 2015

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