Energy Grid Connection — the Legal Framework
Connection to the energy grid — whether the transmission or the distribution network — is regulated in Georgia by the Law on Electricity and Water Supply, which builds a complete system of third party access, device connection and network codes. This page explains how that system works: who provides access, how the fee is set, what the network codes cover, and which principles — non discrimination and transparency — ensure that connection does not become a barrier to market entry.
The legal regime of connection is built on two levels: the law establishes the basic rules and at the same time empowers the commission to approve detailed network codes in which the concrete connection procedures are implemented. When planning a connection, you therefore need to know documents of both levels simultaneously — the law and the network codes in force.
Third Party Access to the Transmission System
The transmission system operator ensures, in compliance with the requirements of the electricity transmission network codes, non discriminatory and unrestricted access of users to the transmission system. The fee for access to the transmission system is accounted and set by the commission according to the respective methodology. The offer of the same service to different users must be made on equal contractual terms, using the harmonized transmission services contract or in accordance with the transmission network codes.
The law does not prevent the conclusion of long term contracts, provided they comply with the competition rules established by the legislation of Georgia and of the Energy Community. The transmission system operator publishes on its website the procedure, rules and conditions of access, including the requirements set by the transmission network codes and the fees determined by the commission, as well as the technical and quantitative data necessary for access to and use of the transmission system, which must be regularly updated. In the cases provided for by a legal act of the commission, access related services may be provided to a user only after the submission of an appropriate financial guarantee — such a guarantee must be non discriminatory, transparent and proportionate and must not create an unjustified barrier to market entry.
Device Connection to the Transmission Network and Access to the Distribution System
The technical side of connection is governed by a separate norm: the transmission system operator ensures, in accordance with the transmission network codes, the connection of electricity devices to the transmission network. The fee for connecting devices is set by the commission on the basis of a calculation carried out under its own adopted methodology — the fee is therefore not a matter for the operator's discretion but the result of a regulated calculation.
The same principle operates at the distribution level: the distribution system operator ensures, in compliance with the requirements of the rules, non discriminatory and unrestricted access to the distribution system, and the fee for this access is based on the tariff calculated and set by the commission under the respective methodology. This means that the conditions of connection fall within the same independent pricing and technical framework for large and small consumers alike, and any basis for differential treatment disappears. For a project developer, this converts connection from a negotiation risk into a planning parameter.