Turkey, Georgia open $220m power plant

Georgia's Gardabani 230-megawatt gas combined cycle plant -- built with Turkish involvement -- started operating on Wednesday.

The $220 million facility, located 39 kilometers (24 miles) south of Georgia's capital Tbilisi, will meet about 15 percent of the country's electricity needs.

Speaking at the inauguration, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said Turkish company Calik Energy constructed and finalized the project three months ahead of schedule.

Yildiz said that facilities like this are direly needed for Turkey and Georgia's energy cooperation.

"I think this project will lead to other projects in the future between Turkey and Georgia," he added.

During the opening speech, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that the plant will boost Georgian's energy independence and energy market.

Georgia imports 80 percent of its energy from other countries. Although nearly 85 percent of Georgia's electricity is produced from hydroelectricity, only one fifth of the country's potential hydropower generation is being utilized.