2
NEWS
Minister of Economy Attends New Hydro Power Plant Construction Launch
GEORGIA TODAY
DECEMBER 19 - 21, 2017
Winter Tourist Season Opens at Tetnuldi and Hatsvali, Svaneti Photo Source: Samu Haber facebook
Georgia’s Natia Todua Wins ‘The Voice’ of Germany
Continued from page 1 The HPP is expected to have 2.5 Megawatt strength, and is to produce on average 15 mln Kilowatt/hour annually. The electro-mechanic turbines and generators of the HPP will be made by the Austrian company Gugler, and construction is to be carried out by Georgian companies under the supervision of the Swiss independent design and engineering company, Stucky SA. Bodorna HPP is financed through a long-term loan from the Dutch Development Bank (FMO) and the German DEG. While attending the Bodorna HPP construction launch ceremony, Kumsishvili noted that the new HPP will be an ecologically clean, “green” hydro power plant that will minimally affect the environment. “The construction of Bodorna hydro power plant is important in numerous directions; for the new investment possibilities and new employment it will provide both during the constuction process and after completion.” Bodorna HPP, the construction of which is planned to end in September 2018, is expected to provide electricity to the buildings supplying Tbilisi with drinking water.
BY THEA MORRISON
N
BY NINO GUGUNISHVILI
F
urther to Gudauri and Bakuriani mountain resorts, Tetnuldi and Hatsvali in Svaneti are now ready to receive tourists for the winter skiing season. Officially opened on December 17, the ski lifts are
to work from 10 AM to 4 PM daily. Tetnuldi has five ski lifts with nine ski trails of an overall length of 30 kilometers, like those in Bakuriani and Gudauri, designed for any category of skier. Tetnuldi resort has a capacity to accommodate 6,806 tourists, while the skiing complex itself can host up to 4,100 visitors. The skiing period at Tetnuldi may last for six or seven months, although
the resort is able to host tourists as a year-round destination. Hatsvali, located some eight kilometers from Mestia, offers five ski triails, with an overall length of 7 km. A brand new 1200 m ski lift connecting Mestia and Hatsvali is to open on December 23, with a six-seat ski lift produced by Doppelmayr to operate, linking the center of Mestia with Hatsvali mountain resort.
atia Todua, 21, from Georgia has been named the winner of the musical contest The Voice of Germany. In the final of the contest in Berlin, the Georgian participant received 50.1% of votes and won the competition. In the final, Natia performed four songs, one of them with the lead vocalist of the band Sunrise Avenue, Samu Haber, who was Natia’s coach in the project. Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili was among the first to congratulate Natia on her victory. Georgian Prime Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, also commented on Natia’s success. “Congratulations Natia! Georgia is proud of you!” Kvirikashvili wrote in a Facebook post. Before taking part in the German Voice, Natia auditioned for Georgian X Factor, but proved to be unsuccessful, after which she tried her luck on Ukrainian Voice. Finally, she left for Germany where she impressed the judges within a few seconds on her first day in the contest.