Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that the state will abandon intermediary companies when importing electricity. According to him, it was intermediaries who created additional costs when purchasing electricity from Azerbaijan. After switching to direct supplies, the budget is expected to save several million lari annually. A similar approach is planned to be used when importing electricity from other countries.
Kobakhidze also announced an agreement with Azerbaijan on natural gas supplies. According to him, the agreement guarantees Georgia the necessary volumes of gas for 20 years at a low price. The decision to abandon intermediaries in energy imports has previously been criticized by former Minister of Economy Giorgi Kobulia.
Kobulia has repeatedly stated that intermediary companies do not create additional value when purchasing electricity from Azerbaijan. In particular, he criticized the procurement scheme through an intermediary and called it corrupt. These statements were made, among other things, after large-scale power outages in Georgia in August.