ZAHPP is the first powerful hydroelectric power plant in Georgia. It presents a low-head power plant. ZAHPP is built on the river Mtkvari near the city of Mtskheta, near the outfall of the river Mtkvari and the river Aragvi. The HPP uses the flow of the Mtkvari river on a section of 11 km.
According to the project, the full storage of the reservoir created by the dam is 12.0 million m3, Live storage – 3.0 million m3, which is provided for daily regulation. Nowadays, ZAHPP operates without regulation- “run-of-river”.
ZAHPP was put into operation in 1927. The design generation of electricity is 203.0 million kWh.
As a result of the reconstruction of hydro unit №6 (replacement of the generator), the installed capacity of the HPP increased to 38.6 MW, instead of the design installed capacity of 36.8 MW.