 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
About
the Project | Strategic
Planning & Capacity Building | Public
Awareness
| Regulatory & Policy
Framework
Projects Home
Public Participation and Communications
CORE is assisting the Ministry of Energy of Georgia in designing a communications
and community outreach/public participation campaign in order to establish
a constructive dialogue with the citizens of Georgia on a broad spectrum of
energy issues. The specific goals of this initiative is to effectively communicate
to the public the importance of: energy sector reforms, rational policy making,
energy conservation, public responsibilities for energy security and financial
stability, operations and maintenance of the energy systems, and the new role
of the Ministry.
CORE’s public participation and outreach project is increasing public awareness in the following areas:
- Condition of the energy sector in Georgia
- Importance of the payment of electricity bills by the consumer
- Importance of energy conservation
- Perception that electricity is a product and can not be supplied free of charge
CORE is using various mass media channels and tools to implement an on-going communications, outreach, and a public participation program on a variety of energy sector issues ranging from tariffs and electricity shortages to the government policy on energy sector reform and restructuring.
Below on this page you can read about the specific activities implemented in this Project Area:
- CORE International, Inc. to assist the Ministry of Energy in organizing media coverage for a major rehabilitation at the Enguri Hydro Power Plant
- Design, Produce, and Distribute the Country's First Consumer Guide for Electricity
- Paul Devlin's "Power Trip" Movie Being Shown Across Georgia
- Communication Strategy for Public Outreach and Awareness
Enguri Hydro Power Plant
CORE International, Inc. to assist the Ministry of Energy in organizing media coverage for a major rehabilitation at the Enguri Hydro Power Plant.
CORE will assist the Ministry of Energy in Georgia in providing the media coverage for one of the most important events in the history of Georgia's energy sector -- installation of a new wicket gate at the Enguri Hydro Power Plant (HPP) that will stop the leakage of water at the plant and improve electricity generation by 350 - 400 million k Wh annually. On September 16, 2005, a 200 ton wicket gate valued at Euro 4.5 million, will be lowered into the water 180 meters from the Enguri HHP arch dam. The Ministry of Energy of Georgia, Prime Minister of Georgia and other high-level government officials will attend this significant event.
The Enguri HPP was constructed in 1980 and is the single largest source of power supply in Georgia. During the integrated Soviet economic system, the 1,300 MW HPP supplied electricity not only to Georgia but also to its neighboring republics. At present, the plant works at 880 MW capacity, providing 40% of the total generation in the country. The hydro facilities of the Enguri HPP as a whole, as well as its separate structures are unique in their design and operation and require special handling in terms of rehabilitation and repair works.
The 271.5 meter arch dam of the HPP forms a reservoir of 1,110 mln. cu. m. capacity and 13.13 sq. km surface and is the highest arch dam in the world. Enguri HPP sits in the Enguri River Valley which has complicated engineering-geological and seismic-tectonic characteristics.
Built over a twenty year period and made operational in 1988, the Enguri arch dam and its tunnel need urgent rehabilitation. Initiated by the Government of Georgia and supported by international donor organizations the Enguri HPP has been undergoing rehabilitation for several years. The most important and difficult part of the rehabilitation is the installation of the new wicket gate that will stop water leakage which is hindering system performance. Georgian and German engineers have been working on this major engineering event for the last two months and the final effort will be culminate with the lowering of the "wicket gate" which requires large cranes and a tremendous workforce of engineers.
The installation of the wicket gate is the first major step in the Enguri rehabilitation process, which also includes repair of the 15 km long derivation tunnel and the generators located in the underground building. Completing these tasks will require closing of the plant for maintenance. Given the current energy situation in Georgia, the extra power produced as a result of this work will improve the lives of thousands of Georgians.. The Enguri HPP will once again be operating at full capacity, and the Enguri River truly will be the "lifeblood of energy" for Georgia.
Underlining the importance of Enguri HPP rehabilitation and lowering the stop lock, CORE is developing a press release and seeking to attract attention of international press to the event.
Electricity Consumer Guide
As part of an overall process to improve the electricity sector in the Republic of Georgia, a public participation and outreach campaign has bee launched in order to engage the public and consumers to participate in the positive change process as the country undergoes a major restructuring and reform effort. Under this public outreach and awareness campaign, a Consumers Guide to electricity entitled “All About Electricity” has been developed and printed for the public. This document provides answers to energy questions in an information format as follows:
- How does the energy sector work in Georgia (information on the transition from a free service to a pay for use service)?
- What organizations in the country generate power and how is the generated power then supplied to the public?
- Why is payment of the electricity bill by consumers so important?
- What is the current status of the supply of power and how does it compare with past years' supply?
- What does the future look like in terms of current capacity of generated supply and what is the country hoping to achieve?
- What energy resources does the country currently have available and what are some untapped resources which are targeted for development in order to increase supply?
- What is the role of consumers and the society in assisting the energy sector to perform better?
- What are the benefits of saving energy and how can consumers save energy on a daily basis?
Approximately 10,000 of the Consumer Guides, “All About Electricity” will be distributed to the public through the power companies, at public hearings, and at bill payment centers.
Power
Trip Movie Being Shown Across Georgia
Power Trip is an award-winning documentary film about Tbilisi’s troubled post-Soviet energy sector. American film director Paul Devlin chronicles the difficulties faced by the U.S. energy company AES as it attempts to reform the formerly state-owned electricity distribution company, Telasi. The film highlights AES’s efforts to provide electricity to its paying customers in a financially sustainable manner.
Working with the film's producers, CORE International, Inc. through a USAID Advisory Services to the Ministry of Georgia Program is showing the film through town-hall meeting style events in underserved regions of the country who receive their electricity services from Georgia’s largest electricity distribution company, the United Electricity Distribution Company (UEDC). Regional consumers have resisted recent UEDC initiatives to install communal meters. The film documents the problems Tbilisi faced with the re-metering process when it attempted similar measures to encourage bill payment for a previously free public service.
The film has proven to be an effective instrument for explaining to regional electricity consumers that only through increased collections and a decrease in theft, can the population of Georgia expect to see improvements in service delivery. As the film documents the impacts on the consumer based on change and reform, awareness of the consumer is raised to know that their reactions to change are normal. The change from free service is a painful one, it poses financial challenges on every family - yet without this change investments will not occur, service will not improve, and overall economic performance of the country will be held back.
Each showing is followed by a public dialogue allowing for consumers to react to the film in terms of their own experiences and most often their personal difficulties. In contrast, Government of Georgia officials and electricity service providers are able to describe why the changes are necessary for the overall economic growth and poverty alleviation strategy of the Government over the medium to longer term.
Communication Strategy
CORE has established a sector-wide Public Relations Working Group involving representatives of all key energy sector stakeholders. In order to reduce the social tension during the winter season caused by the increased shortages of electricity, especially on the regional level, CORE prepared a Winter Power Supply Communications Strategy and Implementation Plan and assisted the Ministry in implementing the specific provisions of the Strategy. The following are the essential drivers and components of the Communications Strategy of the Ministry:
- Low Public Trust in the Energy Sector Governance
- Role of Public Participation in Energy Sector Reform and Governance
- Goals of Public Outreach
- Challenges Facing Effective Outreach
Low Public Trust in the Energy Sector Governance
While there are no definitive analyses available, all data point to a relatively low level of trust by the public in the energy sector organizations. Public opinion polling by Liberty Institute in spring 2004 indicated low trust and credibility of all energy organizations. Recent interviews by the Monitoring Center for Corruption indicate corruption is still seen as a major cause of the energy problems in Georgia . Public dialogues by Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), Liberty , and the Union of Young Power Engineers also reinforce these observations.
Role of Public Participation in Energy Sector Reform and Governance
True public participation requires that the public have the opportunity to influence energy sector decisions through appropriate involvement with the policy making entities. Also, it mandates that the policy making bodies, in this case the Ministry of Energy in Georgia , actively seek public input through a variety of means in order to reflect public concerns and needs in policy reform. The International Association for Public Participation identifies five levels of public participation based on the intent or goal of the sponsoring agencies with regard to the potential level of influence of the public on the decision.
- Inform - provide the public timely and comprehensive information
- Consult - obtain and consider public input
- Involve - get the public directly involved in decision-making
- Collaborate - share decision-making power
- Empower - give decision-making power to the public.
Within the energy sector in Georgia , there do not appear to be any opportunities for the public to directly influence a specific action or decision. CORE is working with the Ministry officials and the public at the "inform" level of the five-step process outlined above by using a variety of outreach techniques to improve the current very low level of public trust and communication. In addition, CORE is working with the Ministry and other Government departments and agencies to build that capacity of the government and the public both to engage in more constructive activities over time.
Goals of Public Outreach
The following key activities constitute a sound public outreach strategy being developed by CORE in cooperation with the Ministry and private sector organization:
- Increase public understanding of the energy sector
- Communicate a clear vision and strategy for the energy sector
- Demonstrate the commitment of the Ministry of Energy and the Government at large to sector improvements
- Coordinate decision making with sector organizations
- Develop a long-term relationship with the public
- Improve public trust
Challenges Facing Effective Outreach
Effective public outreach is essential to improving energy sector governance and implementing reform. CORE is very familiar with the challenges that one faces in developing and implementing sustainable public outreach strategies including the following:
- Lack of a clear vision for the sector
- Lack of commitment to good public communication
- Difficulty in getting timely and accurate information to the public
- Complexity of messages related
- Lack of communication and trust across the sector
- Strong public mistrust of the Ministry
- Public's historical negative views of government
- Inability to reward good consumer behavior
About
the Project | Strategic
Planning & Capacity Building | Public
Awareness
| Regulatory & Policy
Framework
Projects Home
coreintl@coreintl.com | © 2005, CORE International, Inc. | design: dvogel.com