Davit Narmania, the Chairman of the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC), summarized GNERC's 2023 activities with media representatives. According to GNERC's chairman, this year, the Regulatory Commission implemented important projects for the improvement of the regulation of the electricity, natural gas and water supply sectors, as well as for the protection of consumer rights. At the same time, GNERC's role in international organizations became even more active.

"This year GNERC once again gained the status of a successful regulatory commission by international organizations. GNERC has been chosen by the leading organizations in the energy sector to host the prestigious World Forum in Energy Regulation in 2026. More than 1,000 delegates from different countries of the world will take part in the forum," said Davit Narmania during a meeting with journalists.

He stated that in 2023, GNERC made decisions that led to the cancellation of unreasonably charged and old debts for consumers, amounting to 700 000 GEL. Additionally, due to companies not meeting various service standards, GNERC decided that these companies should pay a total of 330 000 GEL as compensation to their customers.

"Citizens actively use the simplified utility services offered by GNERC. The usage of communal services, now managed by the Public Service Hall, has seen a rise. In addition the use of remote services has grown, with the *303# service alone being used by over 1 million unique users in 2023,"- said Davit Narmania.

The chairman of GNERC highlighted the projects supporting the development of renewable energies:

GNERC continues to work on the procedure and program for issuing the certificate of origin of electricity obtained from renewable sources. 23 companies are already registered in the mentioned system, 1,937,526 certificates have been issued. In 2023, the number of micropower plants included in the net metering program doubled, with a total installed capacity of 60 MW.

Consumer tariffs for electricity and natural gas remain unchanged. In the natural gas sector, the process of enlargement and re-authorization of companies is underway. This will help to improve the reliability of natural gas supply and the quality of service in the sector. As for the water supply sector, the investment plans of "Georgian Water and Power" LLC, "Rustavi Water" LLC, "Batumi Water" LLC, "  Sachkheris Tskalkanali" LLC and "Sagarejo" LLC in the coming years are being analyzed. The commission will agree on plans aimed at enhancing the services in the water supply sector.

In 2023, GNERC began establishing a regulatory framework for the amelioration sector, which is a newly regulated area. As part of this process, they have already approved the rules for supplying irrigation water and the methodology for calculating the tariffs for services provided by the primary water user",- said Davit Narmania.

The Chairman of GNERC discussed the projects carried out at the Energy Training Center. He mentioned that in 2023, they conducted multiple training courses covering electricity, natural gas, and water supply Individuals employed in the specified sectors, those interested in sector regulation, and students underwent training.

Davit Narmania introduced the plans for 2024 to the media representatives. The key focus areas for the next year will be consumer protection and enhancing the performance of utility companies, encouraging market liberalization and competition, increasing the use of renewable energy, and advancing digitalization and cyber security in the energy and water supply sectors. Strengthening ties with international organizations and fostering energy education will also be prioritized.