The legal path of wind farm development in Georgia
A wind farm in Georgia falls within the general regime determined by the Law on Energy: the generation of electricity is subject to mandatory authorization, with precisely defined steps from application through commissioning to promotion mechanisms. This page explains each stage of this path: the license requirement, the documentation of the licence application, the trial run for commissioning, and the legal frame of support for renewable generation.
Licensing: requirement, exceptions and application documentation
In accordance with the Law on Licenses and Permits and the Law on Energy, the commission issues licences in the electricity sector for the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and the operation of the market, for the corresponding activities in the natural gas sector, and for water supply. It is prohibited to carry on these activities without a valid licence issued by the commission.
At the same time the law defines exceptions that may be relevant for smaller wind projects: licensing is not required for the generation of electricity solely for one's own consumption where the object of generation and consumption is not connected to the transmission or distribution network; for the generation of electricity at the time of commissioning of the object in accordance with the law; and for generation by small and micro-capacity power plants. An undertaking carrying on such unlicensed activity must nevertheless declare it as established by law.
An activity licence is issued in a transparent, objective, legally substantiated and non-discriminatory manner. Together with the application, the licence seeker must submit to the commission, among other requirements: documents confirming ownership or use of the devices needed for generation; documents confirming their commissioning or conformity with technical requirements; the single-line scheme and plan of the electrical network; the technical condition for connection to the network; the environmental decision provided by the Environmental Assessment Code, where it is mandatory; the list of operational assets with their values and the audit report; and information on the organizational structure confirming the human resources of the required qualification.
The refusal rule also matters: a refusal to issue a licence may be given only on a ground established by law, must be legally substantiated and properly explained, and may be appealed. Every refusal concerning an energy activity licence, with its reasons, is reported to the Energy Community Secretariat. In addition, from 1 September 2026 a rule enters into force under which an integrated environmental permit may be required instead of or together with the environmental decision.