BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 16
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
Georgia has historically focused on hydropower, USAID is supporting diversification into wind and solar, renewable sources which are expected to be less vulnerable to climate change, the USAID mission in Tbilisi told Trend.
USAID is prioritizing Georgia’s energy sector for several reasons.
"First, a stronger, more diversified energy sector helps Georgia build resilience against malign influence. Current energy imports are heavily reliant on partners who have demonstrated their willingness to use energy as a political weapon against democratic gains," said the source.
According to USAID, investing in sustainable, renewable domestic energy production decreases Georgia’s dependence on those unreliable partners, freeing it to continue to advance towards its goal of Euro-Atlantic integration.
Second, growth and improvements in living standards across Georgia require reliable, sustainable energy investments, said the source.
"As Georgia continues to modernize, more households will need reliable, affordable access to electricity for their daily lives, and more enterprises will need reliable, affordable electricity to expand their production, increase their economic activity, and create new jobs. In order to ensure that access, new investments must be made, and, to ensure that those investments are beneficial for the Georgian populace and private sector, those investments need to be in sustainable sources of energy," said the USAID.
Third, responsible, sustainable, clean energy sector development is important for the future of the planet as we face the shared challenge of global warming added the source.
"Georgia’s National Climate Strategy set an ambitious goal of reducing GHG emissions to 35 percent by 2030, and the US Government continues to push to reach net-zero climate emissions by 2050. Promoting domestic sustainable energy production helps Georgia meet those goals while providing high-value employment, higher quality of life with reduced pollution, and increased freedom from unreliable partners," said the source.
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