The Georgian Minister of Economy, Natia Turnava said at the presentation of an electric car manufacturing factory in Kutaisi that Georgia is striving to become a leader in terms of green economy and plans to replace its “environmentally unsafe” car fleet with new electric cars over the next ten years, reported agenda.ge.

“We are building a green economy. Green economy means the development of environmentally clean technologies. The electric car producing factory in Kutaisi is exactly the project that contributes to the development of a green economy. Kutaisi is famous for its industrial traditions. By implementing this project, Kutaisi will regain the status of a machine-building capital”, she said.

The Georgian industrial holding Aigroup plans to construct a production factory in Kutaisi and supply local as well as EU markets with electric cars starting in 2020. The Aigroup is a Georgian holding company that brings together AI technology for cars, energy, power and production. It focuses on environmentally friendly projects and gives them priority. It also works on developing a car sharing project in Georgia whose main goal would be the establishment of a system of public electric transport. Besides the electric car factory, the new enterprise will also include a factory for solar panels and other high-tech factories which would employ 3,000 people.

The “green economy” concept in Georgia was presented in 2018 by Prime Minister Mammuka Bakhtadze. The two main priorities of the government in this strategy are: the neutralization of the results of previously careless environmental management and the perseverance of existing natural resources in a way to ensure that Georgia is perceived as a country with a green economy.

The Georgian government already achieved certain milestones in order to promote the green economy concept. It already has the approved atmospheric air standard, which entered into force in 2018, allowing state bodies to measure the quality of the air in accordance with European standards. Further, an environmental ombudsman was appointed and sustainable transport policy aiming to replace the faulty and deprecated public transport infrastructure was adopted. The Georgian government also plans to introduce a taxation preference system for eco-friendly transport.