Dariali Hydropower Plant, referred to as Dariali HPP, is a 108 MW run-of-the-river hydropower plant built in 2017 in Georgia. It is located on the Tergi River in Kazbegi Municipality, at less than 1 km from the Russian-Georgian border, 160 km far from Tbilisi.[1]
It is a diversion-type facility, including a small upstream diversion dam, a 5 km-long, 5 m diameter headrace tunnel, and a downstream underground power house.[2]
With an overall installed capacity reaching 108 MW (three vertical Pelton turbines 36 MW each), Dariali HPP was the fourth largest hydropower plant in Georgia on the date of its commission. More importantly, it was the largest to be built in Georgia since its independence in 1991.[3] It is expected to generate an average electricity output of 510 GWh per year for the National Grid, to which it is connected via Dariali 110kV transmission overhead line.
The project was launched in 2011, its funding was approved in May 2014 and boring works started later this year.[2] The underground construction was completed in April 2015, and the whole facility was commissioned in April 2017.[4]