Giorgi Vashakmadze
Giorgi Vashakmadze is an energy advisor with extensive experience in transit negotiations on development of the large scale East-West energy corridor projects. From 1996 to 2005 he held different key positions in the Georgian SOE responsible for strategic WREP (Baku-Supsa Oil Pipeline), BTC and SCP projects. Giorgi was a member of the State Energy Commission. As a member of the Georgian Parliament he chaired the Subcommittee for the East-West Energy Corridor.
Being in charge of Negotiations and Compliance Management, Giorgi directed work with international experts on identification of suitable legal, technical and environmental standards and framework to be used for such unique trans-border projects in a geopolitically sensitive region. Managed the review process performed by international and local experts, of relevant technical and environmental documentation provided to the Government by oil companies. Organized pipeline construction and operation monitoring process.
As Georgia’s representative Giorgi was negotiating European Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) Transit Protocol and INOGATE Umbrella Agreement on the institutional framework of interstate oil/gas transportation systems.
In 2005 Giorgi left his Government job to create a team promoting the strategic Black Sea gas transportation link, complementing an anticipated pipeline route onshore Turkey and thus facilitating the transit of large, strategically significant volumes of the Caspian gas to Europe. Initially known as the GUEU and subsequently as the White Stream, the project was supported by the European Commission and co-financed via the EU’s TEN-E program.
After Nabucco project was downsized into Nabucco-W, Giorgi has co-founded the W-Stream consortium to promote another key project within the Turkmenistan to EU bundle of projects – the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline (TCP) via its subsidiary – the W-Stream Caspian Pipeline Company Ltd. The White Stream Ltd became a sister company of W-Stream Caspian. Both projects – the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline and the White Stream are now essential components of the EU’s Southern Gas Corridor plan and are identified as Projects of Common Interest (PCI) under EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CIF) program.
G. Vashakmadze graduated from Tbilisi State University as a biophysicist and devoted 15 years of his career to research at the various scientific centers in Georgia and internationally. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics and Mathematics.
Giorgi Vashakmadze is a co-founder and a director of the Foundation World Experience for Georgia (WEG), a think-tank established in Tbilisi to facilitate access to specialized knowledge in the fields of energy policy, energy security and environment and to support adoption of EU community standards in Georgia.