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The new substation in Akhaltsikhe, the engine of the Black Sea project, features advanced HVDC back-to-back technology that is unique in the Caucasus.

here he stands: Kakha Kaladze, It was part of the power supply in the Kaladze’s office is located, right in T a man tall as a tree, with an Caucasus that was linked to the neigh- the center of the capital and impressively athletic figure and boring Soviet republics. Building up a close to the Mtkvari River that flows Caucasus broad shoulders that are reminders of reliable power supply and grid for through the city. With its mushroom- his former job. Kaladze, now aged 35, was an immense challenge shaped roofs and glass-and-steel was a defender playing football for the and effort.” Kaladze is an ambitious structure, the building (by Italian glorious AC Milan – and the attackers of sportsman who likes to confront architects Massimiliano and Doriana Manchester United, Chelsea, or new challenges. So he quit his football Fuksas) has a science fiction appeal. Crossroads Real Madrid had their work cut out try- career in 2012 and went into politics, The interior is dominated by space, ing to get past the Georgian player. supporting the opposition party of bil- glass, and curvy, airy forms. From the With the Italian club, Kaladze won the lionaire , who won first floor, the busy sounds of key- UEFA Champions League twice. When the elections in October 2012 to become boards, voices, and people moving The Black Sea Transmission Network project he talks about his football career, he the new prime minister. Ivanishvili around drift up to Kaladze’s office on allows Georgia to export green energy to Turkey. smiles shyly. His eyes fly around looking appointed Kaladze as his deputy and the fourth floor. “The building hosts for something to get a grip on. They Minister of Energy. the central public service of the city,” At the heart of the project is the only high- stop at a map on the wall in the bright- explains an assistant of the minister voltage direct-current (HVDC) station in the ly lit meeting room. It shows the Energetic Country who grew up in Berlin. “Here, you can Georgian electricity grid, which has With a population of 5 million people, get married or registered, you can Caucasus region. undergone huge modernization in Georgia is an energetic country, register your car or your newborn the past years. and it is not unusual for young child, or set up a company within a “Under President Eduard Shevard- Western-educated professionals to couple of hours.” Text: Ingo Petz Photos: Fabian Weiss nadze, we had massive problems with hold top jobs in business or in the Now Kaladze’s finger travels along the constant power blackouts due to the government. The thriving dynamic colored lines on the map showing the bad quality and low stability of the old determination of this country to new power lines. He stops at the Turk- Soviet electricity net,” says Kaladze. keep pushing towards modernization, ish border in the southwest of the “Moreover, our grid was not designed efficiency, and prosperity is sym- country. “Since 2011, Georgia has con- as a network for an independent state. bolized by the huge building where structed around 300 kilometers of new u

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East-West bridge: Georgia and its capital Tbilisi occupy an important geostrategic position in the Black Sea-Caucasus region. The Akhaltsikhe HVDC substation operates on two back-to-back links, each line of which is able to transmit 350 megawatts of In the long run, the country aims to export electricity to the EU via Turkey, which is applying for membership in the European power; the station can connect unsynchronized power from the Georgian 500-kilovolt system to Turkey’s 400-kilovolt standard. Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E).

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power lines with transmission line electricity. Of this, 1.3 terawatt-hours export green electricity to EU coun- towers. We have modernized substa- were exported. Georgia’s new hopes tries via Turkey, which is in the pro- tions in Gardabani and Zestafoni and are based to a great extent on the de- cess of applying for membership in built a new one in Akhaltsikhe, close mand for power in Turkey, which is the European Network of Transmis- to the Turkish border.” All this, he increasing because of the thriving sion System Operators for Electricity states – and now his soft voice be- economy in the neighboring country. (ENTSO-E). comes more confident – is part of the “Turkey is the main focus of our new Earlier, while outlining the Black Sea Black Sea Transmission Network. energy export strategy in the current Transmission Network project on the This project was started in 2010 with phase,” says the minister while walk- map, Kaladze had stated: “The new the support of the European Investment ing over to his office, where flags of substation in Akhaltsikhe is the en- Bank, the European Bank for Recon- the EU and Georgia stand side by side. gine of the Black Sea project. Its mod- struction and Development, the German “Besides the famous Georgian wine, ern HVDC back-to-back technology is KfW Group, and the Development our country has a lot of water – unique in the Caucasus. In order to Bank of Austria, which put together the around 300 rivers, which have the po- understand the significance of that imposing sum of around €170 million. tential to generate 20 terawatt-hours place for our future, you have to go The strong international backing shows annually. Therefore, we are develop- and visit it.” Traveling west on wind- the substantial interest of the EU in ing hydropower stations across the ing roads, one passes mountain villag- the Caucasian country and its impor- country. Seventeen stations are cur- es, glittering blue lakes, and wide tant historic and geostrategic location rently being built, and another 62 are grassy plains. In the background, as a bridge between East and West. in the planning phase. Companies rocky hills and mountains reach out to from Turkey, the USA, and India are the vast arching sky. Soviet-era elec- Power Hub investing in those projects. In spring tricity pylons stand out in this over- Since 2010, Georgia has been export- and summer especially, our lakes and whelming landscape like old trees. ing energy to all its neighboring coun- rivers are full of water. The energy Georgia’s Minister of Energy tries. In 2011, the country generated surplus they generate will be export- The “Miracle of Akhaltsikhe” Kakha Kaladze plays a key role approximately 11 terawatt-hours of ed.” In the long run, Georgia wants to After four hours of driving, we reach in mapping out the country’s Akhaltsikhe. The old city with its modernization drive. grand fortress is located close to the border with Turkey and Armenia. After we have gone around some more curves climbing up a slope, the “Turkey is the main focus of our substation with its towers, filters, syn- chronous condensers, converter new energy export strategy in the transformers, and power lines appears like an alien spaceship. It occupies a current phase.” vast plot of 30 hectares in total. “We Kakha Kaladze, Georgian Minister of Energy had to move 1 million cubic meters of earth here, at approximately 1,100 meters above sea level,” explains Norbert Hilfert, the Project Director in system (GSE). In Tbilisi, GSE’s CEO charge of constructing the converter Sulkhan Zumburidze also notes the station. Siemens AG Germany handled importance of Akhaltsikhe. Talking construction together with sister com- about the Black Sea Transmission Net- pany Siemens AG Austria, where Paul work project, he leaves no doubt that Kofler was responsible as Project Man- Georgia is ready to become the center ager for the construction of the of power transmission in the Cauca- 500/400/220-kilovolt switchyards at sus. “The idea for the project came up Akhaltsikhe Substation. Work on the in 2008, when we met with people station started in February 2011. In from the KfW Group bank. We told May 2012 (first part) and November them: ‘We have no oil and gas. But we 2012 (second part), the substation was have water and we have a good geo- ready for testing. “Construction was strategic position. So we can generate completed very quickly. Some in power, export it, and function as a Georgia even called our project the transmitter of power for other coun- ‘Miracle of Akhaltsikhe,’ Hilfert jokes tries and companies in Europe.’ He and takes a sip from his water bottle. pauses. “Thanks to Siemens, we now The station is run by Energotrans, a have a technological capability that no subsidiary of Georgian State Electro- one else in the region can offer. u

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“ We can function as a transmitter of power for other countries and companies in Europe.”

Sulkhan Zumburidze, CEO, Georgian State Electrosystem

We will be the turnstile for transmit- ting and exporting power in the Caucasus.” The sun is blazing as Hilfert walks towards the control center and the valve halls, where the actual power transmission takes place. With him is Akaki Nemsadze, one of the engi- neers at the station, where up to 18 people currently work; in the near future, it will offer employment for 26 staff. “Here we are on the Georgian side of the station,” the tall man ex- plains. “Behind the central building is the Turkish side. Our network is based on a 500-kilovolt system. In Turkey and the EU, you have the 400-kilovolt grid. With the HVDC station, we are able to convert power from 500 to 400 kilovolt, and we can also convert 220 kilovolt into 500 kilovolt and back!” The station u The upgrading of Georgia’s Soviet-era electricity grid in recent years has been a huge challenge.

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The View from Turkey: Electricity Sales Power Good Neighborly Relations

Turkey has one of the world’s fastest- areas, the population is resisting the growing electricity markets. Due construction of still more dams and to its enormous demand, most of the other encroachments on their rivers; neighboring countries are partici- therefore, the construction pants in the Turkish market. While companies are seeking new Russia, Iran, and Iraq are significant investment opportunities abroad. suppliers of oil and gas to Turkey, Georgia is planning to sell electricity Turkish companies are already mar- directly to its western neighbor in the ket leaders in hydropower construc- near future. Only recently, Turkish tion for Georgia, and they aim to ex- Energy Minister Taner Yildiz reiterat- pand their activities there even ed that his country would soon need further. After protracted negotiations, twice as much power as it currently the Turkish government signed an does. Today, Turkey’s annual installed agreement with Georgia in October capacity is 57 gigawatts. The Ministry 2010 that anticipates annual electric- of Energy plans to generate 85 giga- ity imports of 150 megawatts. In June watts a year by 2023 and to produce 2013, the head of Turkey’s energy 120 gigawatts annually by 2050. market regulator EPDK, Hasan Köktas, stated that the necessary sections of The lion’s share of electricity produc- the Black Sea Transmission Network tion will be based on conventional coal project would be completed by the and gas plants. Siemens is currently end of the year, facilitating electricity building a top-of-the-line gas power deliveries from Georgia to Turkey. plant in Samsun on the Black Sea. In order to reduce its dependency on im- These electricity imports will either ported oil and gas, Turkey will ramp be handled by private companies – Besides converting and transmitting electricity, the HVDC station also enhances the stability of the Georgian grid up coal extraction and is also count- the Energo Pro company has already by balancing out power disturbances. ing on use of nuclear energy. Current- applied to the EPDK for a license for ly, the government is in negotiations importing 15 megawatts – or be de- with investors from the United Arab livered directly to the Turkish na- operates on two back-to-back links, being transmitted to the inverter In the rear window of our car, the sta- Emirates and South Korea over devel- tional grid at peak periods when each link of which is able to transmit via a DC link. That’s where the con- tion slowly disappears as we head In the control center of Akhaltsikhe opment of one of the largest lignite Turkey cannot cover its short-term 350 megawatts of power. The line to version to three-phase current takes back down the slope. At the bottom of station: In order to connect power deposits in Central Anatolia; accord- needs itself. Such an exchange of Turkey is 34 kilometers long, ending place.” The plant not only converts the hill we turn into the road back to grids that are not synchronized, the ing to reports, investments of up to electricity according to requirements at another substation on the Turkish and transmits electricity. It also en- Tbilisi. Above the hill, we catch a last three-phase alternating current is converted into direct current and US$12 billion are at play. – commonplace within the EU – al- side near the small city of Borçka. hances the stability of the Georgian glimpse of brilliance from the vice versa. ready exists between Turkey and grid, balances out power disturbanc- station’s floodlights that light up the On the other hand, development of Bulgaria; upon completion of the The Heart of the System es, and acts as a firewall that can con- darkening Georgian sky. p renewable energy lags far behind. grid, Georgia will also take part in Nemsadze and the others have reached trol, stop, or restart the transmission Although Turkey has large capacities this loop system. the control building, passing by the of electricity. Ingo Petz has worked for more than 12 years as for wind and solar power, there have huge transformers that weigh around It is obvious that Nemsadze, who was a freelancer covering eastern Europe for the most only been minor investments in wind While the share of Georgian electric- 180 tonnes each. Two scruffy dogs trained in Germany, is happy to have prestigious publications in the German-speaking world, including Frankfurter Allge meine Zeitung power recently – this spring, Germa- ity in meeting overall demand will be are lounging in the shadows. Hilfert been chosen to work at the most and Der Standard. He has published several ny’s E.ON and the Turkish Sabanci relatively small, it should be regard- opens the door, and the group steps modern substation in the Caucasus. books and is also a regular contributor for aca- Holding opened a wind park in the ed as an important indicator of grow- into one of the valve halls, which are “We already get a lot of visitors up demic journals such as Osteuropa. Sea of Marmara – and almost none in ing energy cooperation and market locked by a special security mecha- here. Just recently, we had delega- solar energy. integration in the Black Sea region. nism: This is the heart of the system. tions from Russia and Azerbaijan. Six thyristor valve towers hang like They are all interested in having their With hydropower, it’s a different story: Jürgen Gottschlich is a journalist based in huge beehives in the dark building. electricity converted and transmitted The major rivers in the country’s Istanbul. Each of these two level towers holds here.” In the future, the station’s ca- south and southeast are already being a stack of 72 thyristors. Nemsadze pacity could be increased up to used to for power generation. In many points into the darkness. “Here, the 1,000 megawatts. The sun is already three-phase alternating current is setting, creating a spectacular display converted into direct current before of colors against the mountainsides.

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