Georgia, Tbilisi, Oct. 26 / Trend corr. N.Kirtskhalia /
The Georgian National Commission for Energy and Water Supply and Austrian E-control agency have presented the project on "Encouraging electricity tariff methodology".
According to the Chairman of the commission Guram Chalagashvili, the project aims to improve the regulation of the energy sector in Georgia, bringing the system in line with European standards. The project will assist the National Commission for Energy and Water Supply in the phased implementation of incentive tariff methodology, he said.
In turn, one of the project sponsors Dietmar Preinstorfer noted that in the framework of the project, Austrian specialists will introduce Georgian colleagues to the European experience.
According to him, the regulation of the energy sector will gradually move to the incentive tariff principles, which means that the regulatory body will always act in the interests of consumers.
"On the initial phase of the project it is difficult to say, how will the incentive tariff methodology impact the consumer interests, or if the electricity tariff will change. First we have to study the situation. Tariffs must reflect the real costs to interest investors in this area," Preinctorfer stated.
However, he noted that for the effectiveness of the project it is very important that power companies optimize their income and expenses, therefore the Austrian side will give them recommendations in this field..
Over the next 21 months the Austrian, British, German and Latvian experts will work with Georgian colleagues in Kutaisi, where the office of the National Commission is located.
The project is financed by the European Union, its budget amounts to 1.1 million euros.