• The map of potential hydro power plants displays two datasets: “Gross Theoretical Hydropower potential”, and „Filtered Hydro Power Potential“. The gross hydro power potential shows all the potential that is identified, regardless of construction costs, environmental restrictions and already developed hydro power plants. The “filtered hydro power potential” amounts to ca. 30 TWh, and excludes the expensive projects (cost limit: $ 0.35 per annually generated kWh), projects within national parks and potential that has already been developed. Identified projects are starting point for further and more detailed investigations of the hydro power potential in the rivers. In that respect, both the gross potential and filtered hydro power potential might be useful. The map of potential hydro power plants might be useful for potential investors or the government in order to explore the hydro power potential in more details. Hydro power potential map and the Cost base handbooks are results of a sucsessful cooperation among Ministry of Energy OF Giorgia, the National Environmental Agency and Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate. The cooperation necessitated a step-wise approach, where the following steps were necessary:

• Preparation and quality control of historical hydrometeorological data

• Land use mapping and preparation of a digital elevation model (DEM)

• Preparation of a national runoff map for Georgia

• Compilation of cost data for hydropower development

• Calculation of the hydropower potential and associated costs