TBILISI, September 18. /TASS/. The failure of the Namakhvani hydroelectric power plant (HPP) construction project in western Georgia in 2021 was the result of a hybrid attack by Brussels-funded non-governmental organizations that spread disinformation and lies, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili told reporters.

"At the time, this campaign (against the construction of the HPP – TASS) was fully coordinated by three non-governmental organizations: Green Alternative, the Social Justice Center and the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association. All three were funded by Brussels and other sources. Today, everyone already knows what a farce the whole thing was – complete disinformation, a hybrid attack on Georgia aimed at sabotaging one of the country's most important energy projects. Organizations funded by Brussels managed to derail this project," Papuashvili said.

The Georgian parliament speaker noted that after the project failed, Turkish company ENKA turned to international arbitration, creating the risk that the Georgian authorities may have to pay the company $400 million in compensation.

Papuashvili stressed that this would not happen again because Georgia's foreign agents law, adopted in 2024, would help quickly identify individuals and organizations funded from abroad and engaged in activities directed against the country.

Namakhvani is a cascade hydropower project planned on the Rioni River. Construction had been delayed since 2009 because of protests by local residents who cited environmental risks. Work on the plant began in the summer of 2020 but stopped about a year later amid local opposition. The project was expected to require $800 million in investment and had a design capacity of 433 MW.