US looks to wean Georgia from Russian energy

The US government is pondering ways of breaking Georgia’s dependency on Russian gas and electricity.

The US Department of Energy is working with a Tennessee-based think tank, the Howard H Baker, Jr Center for Public Policy, to “discuss policy alternatives and define and eliminate barriers to investment in Georgia’s energy sector,” said Lana Ekimoff, director of Russian and Eurasian affairs in the department’s Office of Policy and International Affairs.

The Georgia plan is part of a larger strategy outlined by US officials to encourage the development of the energy sectors of the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus, while also increasing US influence in the region.
ISN