Nenskra hydropower plant, Georgia

The Nenskra dam is the most advanced of Georgia’s massive plans for hydropower installations in the Upper Svaneti region. It will deprive the local community, ethnic Svans, of lands and livelihoods, but potential negative impacts have not been properly assessed.

Background

In the last decade, Georgia has rushed to exploit its hydropower resources to become a regional energy player. But weak laws and lack of strategy have made the sector a breeding ground for environmental damage, social problems and political cronyism.

The Upper Svaneti region in north-western Georgia provides a microcosm of these broader trends.

The impact of such intensive hydropower plant constructions on the rivers and biodiversity in Upper Svaneti has not been assessed.

Of all the projects, Nenskra is the most advanced.

Local population and land use issues

300 families live in Chuberi and 80 families in the village of Nakra. The majority are Svan, an ethnic subgroup of Georgia’s Caucasus mountains with their own language, laws and traditions.

For generations, they have lived in isolation and self-dependence in Upper Svaneti. Their livelihoods depend on forestry, grazing and subsistence agriculture.

The reservoir will flood communal lands and would reduce families incomes, contributing to poverty and marginalisation, especially for women who are less likely to receive job opportunities during the construction.

At least two families live in fear of being resettled.

Even though the use of land is a highly contested issue, the agreement over the project, which may contain relevant information, has not been made public.

Poor impact assessment and lack of participation

From the onset, the project has been poorly communicated to the affected communities who have few opportunities to be heard. People’s knowledge about the dam is scarce and the information provided by the developers focuses on benefits while neglecting negative impacts.

A review (pdf) of the Nenskra Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) prepared by a German consultant indicates that the ESIA report fails to sufficiently define the area of influence, suggest project alternatives, assess the impacts on the local communities and the geological hazards, and evaluate the costs and benefits of the project for the Georgian society.

The Georgian Ministry of Environment approved the project even though the review questioned the project from a nature conservation perspective.

Cumulative impacts

Nenskra is one of several dams planned in the Enguri river basin, upstream of the state-owned 1300 MW Enguri hydropower plant. The water accumulation at Nenskra will inevitably reduce water levels downstream, and lessen the economic utility of the Enguri dam and the planned Khudoni dam.

More importantly, the Georgian government has not tried to assess the cumulative impacts of all the planned hydro installations on the Enguri watershed and the Upper Svaneti region.

Besides the dams and derivation tunnels, the necessary constructions include bypass and access roads, high voltage transmission lines and substations. These may lead to substantial increase in landslides and thus sedimentation in the already exposed Enguri dam.

Seismic risks and land slides

Svanetia is a geologically sensitive mountainous area prone to landslides and mudflows. The situation is critical in the area of the planned Nenskra reservoir and around the village of Nakra.

Nakra has a history of mudflows that washed out the local cemetery and agricultural fields. Locals who have for long called for a protection system fear that the planned works on the Nakra river could cause flooding of their village.

Originally published at bankwatch.org.