August 31, 2015 - A new important work for Salini Impregilo in Georgia. The Group, in fact, has won an EPC contract worth $575 million for the design and construction of the Nenskra hydroelectric project in the mountainous region of Svaneti, in the northwest of the Country. The contract was signed at Tbilisi in the presence of Georgia’s Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, and its Minister of Energy, Kakha Kaladze, among others.

The work, commissioned by the JSC Nenskra Hydro consortium (composed of the Korea Water Resources Corporation [K-water], a government agency, and by the Georgian Government), represents a significant infrastructural priority for the Country. Salini Impregilo prevailed on its European and Asian competitors by relying on the technical qualities offered by its project, which will have an installed power of 280MW, so as to guarantee the energy supply needed during the winter season and to maximise the export capacity during the summer season.  

The work will have to be completed in 62 months from the signing of the contract. The Project will be composed of a main dam, a weir on the Nakra river, a transfer tunnel, a headrace tunnel to the powerhouse and the actual open-air powerhouse with four vertical-axis Pelton turbines. The weir on the Nakra river will be 9 meters high and 50 meters long (crest), the associated transfer tunnel, 14.4 km long with a 3.5 m diameter, will convey Nakra River’s water to the new reservoir, optimizing the Project’s performance.  The headrace tunnel will be 15.6 km long with a 4.5 m diameter. The dam, an asphalt face rockfill dam, will be 135 meter high and 820 meters long (crest), with a capacity of 183 million cubic meters of water.

Salini Impregilo, already active in Georgia with the realization of the Zestafoni-Kutaisi-Samtredia motorway, consolidates its presence in the Caucasus area. The Nenskra hydroelectric project will allow Georgia to increase its energy exports, significantly contributing to the economic and social development of the Country, while constantly respecting the environment.