On
March 23, 2001 President Shevardnadze issued Decree no. 107 On Political
Support and Promotion of Implementation of the Project of Constructing the
2x125 MW Thermal Station Working on Tkibuli Coal in Tkibuli. The thermal
station construction project provides an investment of US$30 million for the
restoration of the coal industry in Tkibuli.

Coal
is one of the most significant fuels recovered in Georgia, and Georgia
possesses important reserves of coal. The proven reserves of coal account for
approximately 450 million tonnes. The main reserves are situated on the coal
deposits of Tkibuli-Shaori, 332 mln. tonnes, Akhaltsikhe coal deposit, 171 mln.
Tonnes, and Tkvarcheli, 21 mln. tonnes. Coal played an important role in the
development of the country. The infrastructure created for exploitation of
coal deposits was concentrated in Tkibuli, Tkvarcheli, and Akhaltsikhe.
Significant parts of the population of these regions and neighbouring areas
were employed in the coal industry, and in enterprises related to it. The main
consumers of coal in Georgia were such sectors of the economy like energy,
represented by the thermal stations at Rustavi, Kutaisi and Tkvarcheli, and
such branches of industry like metallurgy, for example the Rustavi
metallurgical and Zestafoni Ferroalloys factories. A small portion of the coal
was used for residential usage purposes. By the end of the 1980s, Georgia
consumed 2.3 mln. tonnes of coal, whereas the consumption in the 1950s-70s
amounted approximately to 3.4 mln. tonnes). The coal industry provided jobs
for thousands of workers.

Nowadays
only the Tkibuli-Shaori deposit is being exploited. The Akhaltsikhe mines have
been closed, and the exploitation of the mine in Tkvartcheli was stopped
because of the war in Abkhazia. If at the end of the 1980s 12000 workers were
employed in coal industry, nowadays only 850 workers are engaged in the
industry. On the Tkibuli-Shaori deposit, only two of a total of four mines are
under exploitation. One of the reasons thwarting the restoration of the coal
industry is that its consumers, that is major enterprises and industries, are
either out of business or consume inexpensive fuel oil. The only way to
restore and develop the coal industry is hence the construction of a thermal
station of 220-250 MW volume, which will work on Tkibuli coal and will consume
450-600 thousand tonnes of coal per year. mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Bright""> 

The
main importance of the project lies in the prospect of the rehabilitation and
further development of the Tkibuli coal mines, stimulation of industry,
improvement of the socio-economic conditions in the region, and an important
growth of employment through the creation of approximately 12-15,000
employment opportunities. Along with this, the project improves the conditions
for energy security, and as a result, the political independence of the
country. Development of the coal industry will facilitate an improvement of
the country’s environmental condition. Based on the statistical data for
residential customers, the annual consumption of wood for heating and cooking
purposes equals one million  cubic
meters of wood, compared to an annual consumption of coal amounting to 450,000
tonnes in previous years. This usage of wood has serious effects on
Georgia’s flora, provokes the erosion of soil and an intensification of
landslides, which brings difficulties to the country’s population.

Therefore,
the restoration and development of Georgian coal industry is envisaged as
necessary for several reasons: it is economically efficient, socially
valuable, protects the environment, and provides national energy and security.

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mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">Zaza
Gordeziani font-family:"Lucida Bright";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">, Director, Scientific-Research  Institute
of Mines, Geomechanics and Survey, Tbilisi, Georgia.