Deputy Justice Minister Beka Dzamas hvili explains what the decision of the federal judge in Washington means. The judge ordered Georgia to pay Turkish company Enka Renewables LLC $350 million, plus interest, in compensation over the suspended Namakhvani HPP project.

According to Beka Dzamas hvili, “the decision of the Washington court concerned only the procedural aspect, because the party did not wait for the proceedings in Paris to conclude and, in parallel, attempted to have the decision recognized and enforcement proceedings initiated.”

“Today, several television channels disseminated incorrect information, claiming that a U.S. court had ordered the Georgian government to pay $400 million to ENKA in connection with the Namakhvani HPP case. In reality, no proceedings are taking place in a U.S. court that are substantively considering this issue.

The case concerns an arbitration award well known to the public, which was issued by an arbitration tribunal in Paris in 2024. Accordingly, the Georgian authorities have appealed this decision to the Paris Court of Appeal. The main proceedings concerning the case are taking place precisely in Paris, and they must ultimately determine whether this decision will remain in force. The Georgian authorities have requested that the decision be annulled, and we do not expect any decision in this case before the end of this year.

As for the decision of the Washington court, it concerned only the procedural aspect, because the party did not wait for the proceedings in Paris to conclude and, in parallel, attempted to have the decision recognized and enforcement proceedings initiated.

The Washington court was considering whether it should wait for the proceedings in Paris to conclude, and the decision being reported by several television channels concerns only the procedural matter of allowing these proceedings to continue in parallel in Washington.

I would once again emphasize that this is not a final decision, and it is also subject to further appeal within the jurisdiction of Washington. Of course, the Georgian government will make use of this legal avenue, and we will defend the state’s interests to the fullest extent in every jurisdiction,” Beka Dzamas hvili said.

For the record, a federal judge in Washington ordered Georgia to pay Turkish company Enka Renewables LLC $350 million, plus interest, as compensation over the suspended Namakhvani HPP project, bringing the total compensation to more than $400 million.

According to bpn.ge, this is stated in a September 11 decision of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, published on the Justia U.S. Law website. The decision was signed by Judge Amit P. Mehta.

The court ruling concerns Georgia’s attempt to suspend court proceedings related to the enforcement of an arbitration award, which followed the Georgian government’s termination of the $800 million Namakhvani HPP project.