The oldest hydroelectric power station in Georgia "Zemo-Avchala HPP (Zahesi)"

Zemo-Avchala HPP (ZAGES, named after V.I. Lenin) is the oldest hydroelectric power station in Georgia and is located on the Kura River near the city of Mtskheta, not far from Tbilisi. Being the second stage of the Kura cascade of hydroelectric power stations, it played a significant role in the electrification of the region. Built in the 1920s, this station remains an important element of the country's energy infrastructure, despite the age of the equipment requiring modernization and reconstruction.

Structurally, the Zemo-Avchalskaya HPP is a low-pressure dam-diversion hydroelectric power station with a free-flow supply diversion in the form of a canal. The main structures of the hydroelectric power station are the main concrete spillway dam with five spillway openings, a small concrete dam, a water intake with a two-span flush sluice, a 3 km long diversion canal, a pressure basin and a hydroelectric power station building. The installed capacity is 42.8 MW, and the projected average annual electricity generation reaches 203 million kWh. The station building is equipped with six vertical hydraulic units operating at a design head of 21.3 m.

The Zemo-Avchala hydroelectric power station is not only energetically significant, but also a historical landmark. In 1947, her contribution to economic development was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. An important element in the history of the station is the fate of its chief engineer Nikolai Agniashvili, who was arrested and executed in 1937. Since 2007, the station has been owned by the Georgian company GeoInCor.

A visit to the Zemo-Avchala hydroelectric power station will be of interest to both specialists and students in the field of energy, as well as tourists interested in the history of Georgia and engineering structures of past eras. This is a unique opportunity to see one of the oldest hydroelectric power plants in the region in operation, to evaluate its design features and significance for the development of Georgia’s energy infrastructure. Next to the hydroelectric power station there is an urban-type settlement called Zages, created to serve the facility, which may also be of interest to visitors.