Energy expert Murman Margvelashvili questions the government’s decision to write off 1 billion GEL in fines accumulated by companies involved in renewable energy projects. Speaking on Elene Kvanchilashvili’s TV-program Analytics, he stressed that the forgiven amount ultimately comes from taxpayers. “This 1 billion is actually a billion from the state budget, meaning people’s money. It will be deducted from expenses that could have been made if these funds had been collected,” he said, adding that both the justification for the write-off and its real effect on accelerating project implementation remain unclear.
GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that all fines will be forgiven with one key condition: if companies miss newly established deadlines, all new fines must be paid in full and previously forgiven fines will be reinstated.
Margvelashvili noted that many so-called “investors” who accumulated these debts are in fact brokers who obtained energy projects only to resell them, a problem long discussed within the sector. He questioned whether it is appropriate to give these entities another chance, suggesting the state may be struggling to reassign stalled projects to real investors through administrative procedures and is now hoping that brokers will revive them.
Responding to a question about responsibility in the process, Margvelashvili emphasized that it does not lie solely with businesses. Ongoing court disputes over project transfers show that the government also bears responsibility. Meanwhile, Kobakhidze maintains that the decision will give new momentum to the energy sector and strengthen Georgia’s economic independence.
