Around 70% of Mestia Municipality’s population is registered in Georgia’s social assistance database and will continue to receive subsidized electricity under the government’s new electricity metering plan, according to local officials.
The government recently announced that electricity metering will be introduced across Mestia as part of efforts to combat illegal cryptocurrency mining and excessive power consumption. Under the new system, residents will continue to receive electricity free of charge up to a specified consumption limit, while usage above that threshold will be billed.
Mestia Mayor Kapiton Zhorzholiani welcomed the decision, stating that socially vulnerable households will continue to receive their basic electricity consumption free of charge. According to data from the Social Service Agency, 6,960 residents of Mestia Municipality were registered as socially vulnerable as of April 2026.
The government argues that excessive electricity consumption linked to illegal crypto mining has become a nationwide financial burden. Vice Prime Minister Mamuka Mdinaradze recently stated that the costs associated with the issue effectively add around GEL 1.5 to every electricity bill paid by consumers across Georgia.
