Georgia imported solar panels worth $158 million in January–September 2026, according to trade figures reported by BM.ge. That was $139 million more than in the same period of 2025—an 8.2-fold increase.

It is the clearest sign yet that solar development is beginning to show up in the country’s physical supply chain, not only in announcements, permits and project pipelines.

The number should not be read as evidence that Georgia has suddenly added a comparable amount of operating solar capacity. But it does indicate that large volumes of equipment are now entering the country as utility-scale projects move into construction.

A construction signal, not a generation figure

Solar-panel imports are a useful early indicator of activity because modules represent a substantial part of a photovoltaic project’s equipment cost. A sharp rise can therefore signal that projects have passed through financing, procurement and early construction stages.

BM.ge linked the increase to several large-scale solar projects now being developed in Georgia, particularly in Marneuli.

One independently confirmed example is the 73 MW Marneuli Solar Power Plant being developed by Voltares Power Projects through ITEC LLC. Voltares lists the project as under construction. The EBRD, which approved a loan of up to $25.5 million for the plant, expects it to generate approximately 91 GWh of electricity annually once operational.

That would make it one of the first utility-scale solar plants of this size to enter Georgia’s electricity system.

Imports still need to become operating assets

The import figure nevertheless needs to be interpreted carefully.

It does not show how many panels have already been installed, connected to the grid or commissioned. Some equipment may still be in transit, at ports, in storage or awaiting completion of civil works, substations and grid connections.

It also does not reveal the eventual performance of projects: whether they are correctly designed, built to a high standard, able to obtain grid access and operated effectively over their full lifetime.

Those distinctions matter in a market where solar has until now played a relatively small role in national electricity generation. The more consequential milestone will be the transition from imported equipment to plants that are producing predictable electricity and contributing to Georgia’s seasonal energy balance.

The next measure of progress

For developers, lenders and policymakers, the coming period should bring more visible evidence of whether the pipeline is converting into real assets: commissioning dates, connection agreements, generation data and a clearer view of how large solar plants will interact with hydropower, demand growth and the evolving electricity market.

The $158 million import figure does not settle those questions. It does, however, show that 2026 is becoming a year in which Georgia’s solar ambitions are starting to move beyond paper and into equipment, construction sites and project delivery.

Source note: Solar-panel import figures and the broader project references were reported by BM.ge on 25 October 2026. The construction status, financing and expected output of the 73 MW Marneuli Solar Power Plant were checked against public information from Voltares and the EBRD.