Georgia’s largest wind-energy project has entered its testing phase, marking the first operational step for the 206 MW Ruisi Wind Farm in Kareli Municipality.
ESCO, Georgia’s Electricity Market Operator, registered Wind Power JSC as a wholesale-market participant for the Ruisi project from 24 September during its test run and/or complex-testing period.
The registration does not mean the plant has entered full commercial operation. It formally places the project within the wholesale-market framework while technical testing is carried out.
Testing turbines and the substation
According to Lasha Iordanishvili, CEO of Peri, the project’s testing phase is currently focused on individual turbines and the substation under low-load conditions.
The company expects the testing process to take up to three months, although it hopes to complete the work earlier and bring the plant into full operation.
Ruisi consists of 33 Goldwind wind turbines, each with a capacity of 6.25 MW. The turbines have 105-metre towers and a rotor diameter of 171 metres.
Testing is an important stage between construction and commercial operation. It verifies that the turbines, substation and associated grid infrastructure can operate together safely and reliably before the project begins generating at full scale.
A major expansion of Georgia’s wind capacity
The Ruisi project is being developed by Wind Power, part of the Peri Group. It is located near the village of Ruisi in Kareli Municipality.
With 206 MW of installed capacity, the project is substantially larger than Georgia’s existing operating wind fleet. The country currently has two wind farms with combined capacity of about 40 MW: the Kartli Wind Power Plant and the Zemo Wind Power Plant.
Once Ruisi enters commercial operation, it will add more than five times the capacity of Georgia’s existing wind generation in a single project.
The project is partly financed through a USD 119 million EBRD loan. Peri has said total investment exceeds USD 240 million.
From construction to operation
Ruisi has been one of the most visible renewable-energy projects under construction in Georgia this year. The beginning of testing is therefore a significant milestone: the project is no longer only an infrastructure development, but is starting the technical process needed to become an operating power plant.
Wind generation will not remove Georgia’s seasonal electricity challenges on its own. But a large new wind asset can diversify a system still dominated by hydropower and provide generation at times when wind conditions are favourable.
The next milestone will be commercial operation, after the testing and complex-testing process is completed.
Source note: Testing-stage details, turbine specifications and investment figures were reported by BM.ge, citing Lasha Iordanishvili, CEO of Peri. ESCO confirmed Wind Power JSC’s registration for wholesale trade during test run and/or complex testing.