“Green” hydrogen – made through the electrolysis of water powered by renewable electricity – has been emerging as the world’s best hope for a clean fuel. It can be blended with natural gas in pipelines and at power plants.
The Georgian government, realising that water currently spilled during the summer months would be put to better use producing hydrogen, has now asked the EBRD to explore the country’s potential for generating green hydrogen which could then be blended and transported to end-users through existing gas pipelines.
The EBRD accepted and, in a deal signed this week, agreed to provide technical cooperation support to assess the investment requirements in Georgia for green hydrogen generation, as well as to upgrade existing assets to transport blended hydrogen to end-users.
“Georgia is making a very timely move in terms of utilising its hydro potential and future-proofing its gas infrastructure to accept low carbon fuels. We are pleased to support them with these first steps,” said Aida Sitdikova, Director and Head of Energy Eurasia, in the EBRD’s Sustainable Infrastructure Group.
The agreement was part of a broader transaction signed between Georgia’s GOGC energy company and the EBRD, to lend the company €217 million to help it refinance a corporate Eurobond in the wake of this year’s Covid-19 slowdown. GOGC provides 20 per cent of Georgia’s electricity and is the main government entity ensuring the reliability of gas supplies in the country.
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