Page 54 - GEORptNov19

politically motivated charges. Georgia will hold a general election next year. Public support for the ruling Georgian Dream party, led by billionaire oligarch and ex-PM Bidzina Ivanishvili, is weakening, opening the door for a change in regime.
“Today, October 28, one of the largest cyberattacks on the cyberspace of Georgia took place at dawn. One of the targets of the attack is a server owned by Proservice, which houses websites of state agencies, the private sector and media organizations. As a result of the attack, about 15,000 web pages were placed on the servers of the company,” Proservice said.
According to local news sites, the cyberattack was the largest experienced by Georgia since 2008, when the Russians were suspected of launching an assault as Georgia and Russia briefly went to war. No evidence that the latest attack originated from Russia has been presented thus far. A criminal investigation has been launched.
Analysts said that the cyberattack was not very sophisticated but highlighted worrying weaknesses in Georgia’s cybersecurity.
The World Bank, in collaboration with the Georgian economy ministry, will develop a National Innovation Ecosystem in the country in order to foster the digital economy and innovative start-ups.​ The World Bank will finance the project, which is estimated to cost $40mn. Countries in the South Caucasus, including Georgia, have been seeking to develop their value-added sectors, such as information technology, in recent years. Armenia is a leader in this sector in the region, with IT and technology accounting for 5% of GDP, and a sizable qualified workforce that has attracted the likes of Microsoft to open up innovation centres in the country. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan has been working on digitising its public services and installing fibre-optic Internet connections across the country. Following in their footsteps, Georgia is also working on Internet connectivity and promoting tech start-ups. The project will comprise four parts, namely the development of an innovation infrastructure through the creation of a network of innovation hubs in selected cities and town; the provision of innovation services; ensuring financing through technical assistance and matching grants; and project implementation support.
9.1.9 ​Renewable energy sector news
Wind farms with 350 MW of installed capacity will be built in Georgia by 2021, according to Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Davit Tvalabeishvili, as ​quoted​ ​by Business Media. According to Tvalabeishvili, 350 MW is the maximum power that the Georgian electricity system could receive from wind farms at this time.
"We conducted a study with German experts and found that by 2021, with the reserve capacities we have in the system, we could build about 350 MW of wind power stations and about 130 MW of solar power. If we build more, we could face blackouts since we do not have enough backup capacity," he was cited as saying.
By the end of the year, he said, the government will have signed contracts for the implementation of wind power projects in various locations, including Kaspi, Tbilisi and the Imereti overpass. Among the projects are Nigosa Wind Power Plant with 50 MW of installed capacity.
The government has developed incentives to support the development of wind farms. It will pay 6.5 US cents per kWh over the first 10 years of operations.
54​ GEORGIA Country Report​ November 2019 ​ ​www.intellinews.com