Rising energy tariffs in Georgia have been cited as a factor in Ivanishvili's enrichment.

The increase in electricity tariffs for all Georgian consumers starting April 1 will hit the budgets of the country's residents and serve to increase the income of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the Georgian Dream party.

New consumer and non-consumer electricity tariffs will come into effect in Georgia on April 1. Electricity prices will increase in all regions of Georgia and will affect both residents and businesses. The increase was announced at a meeting of the National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission of Georgia on March 30.

For residential consumers, the tariff will increase by 5 tetri (about 2 cents), ranging from 17.9% to 33.9% depending on consumption volume and voltage level. For businesses, the tariff will increase by 6.7 tetri, or 23.3%, according to Tbilisi_life.

David Narmania, Head of the National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC), cited dependence on electricity imports and rising purchase prices as the main reasons for tariff increases. He said the increase in electricity prices will reduce the number of outages.

"Recently, both in the capital and in the regions, power outages have become more frequent, especially during inclement weather. That's why the regulatory commission is monitoring and analyzing outages using a special program. It has been found that the number of outages has increased in some areas. On-site monitoring by the technical department showed that the condition of the infrastructure is deteriorating every year," Georgia-Online quotes him as saying.

Narmania also recalled that "two years ago, the commission reduced the tariff by three tetri." "In 2024-2025, the tariff was three tetri lower. Now we're returning to that situation and adding another two tetri," the official stated.

Politicians' Reactions and Economists' Assessments

Increasing electricity tariffs will hit Georgians hard, asserts Ana Dolidze, leader of the opposition party "For the People." "Consider this taking away people's last crust of bread. The number of socially vulnerable people in the country reached a record high this year. In this situation, doing this, in my opinion, is wrong," she emphasized.

The increase in the cost of electricity required for all types of production will lead to higher prices for all goods, with bakeries and milk processing plants, as well as irrigation pumps and refrigeration units, suffering the most from the tariff hikes, noted economist Nikoloz Alavidze.

“Another 1.5 percent increase will be added to the already 10 percent increase in food prices. All this increase is the result of accumulated inefficiency and corruption, for example, questionable import operations from both Azerbaijan and Russia. In general, when you depend on imports, it makes your energy more expensive,” Pirveli TV quoted him as saying.

Economist Georgi Kepuladze, in turn, noted that Georgia has increased electricity imports from Russia, which also poses a threat to national security.

HPPs and cryptocurrency businesses promise Ivanishvili increased profits

Civic Participation Center founder Irakli Abesadze noted that Bidzina Ivanishvili's structures were involved in a number of opaque transactions around the Mtkvari hydroelectric power station in 2024-2025. Even if this was a "mere coincidence," Abesadze pointed out, raising electricity tariffs "will now directly increase Ivanishvili's income."

He also recalled that in February 2025, the prosecutor's office charged Giorgi Bachiashvili with embezzlement of funds from the construction of the Mtkvari hydroelectric power station, the cost of which increased by $100 million. A year later, on February 18, Bachiashvili was released under a plea bargain with the prosecutor's office.

Gakharia - For Georgia party representative Ketevan Bakaradze, speaking at a parliamentary briefing, linked the rise in electricity consumption to the cryptocurrency business of the Georgian Dream founder.

“Georgia hasn't seen any new large enterprises open, nor has its population increased; on the contrary, we're experiencing a demographic crisis. Against this backdrop, the logical question arises: what's driving the increase in consumption? One answer is cryptomining and Bitcoin, linked to Bidzina Ivanishvili's business. As a result, Georgian Dream is paying its billions at the expense of its own population: pensioners, large families, single mothers, students, and small businesses. People who are already struggling to make ends meet,” Tabula.ge quotes her as saying.