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This study focuses on the geothermal energy policy. In Georgia, a public policy plan may be proposed either by the government or by the House of Representatives or by the public itself. These public policy proposals can then be incorporated into the government’s work plans to make a policy by regard to the evolving situations and conditions occurring in the public. The proposal will gain enormous attention from various parties such as the executives, political party figures, members of the House of Representatives, and leaders outside the government such as experts, public policy observers, and stakeholders directly related to the issue, and not to exclude the mass media.
In relation to the proposal from the public, the government may or may not respond to the proposal. The reasons for the decision vary—the government may state that the problem can already be handled through existing policies and regulations, or that the problems cannot be identified as a whole, or that the impact and benefits cannot be academically studied for the interest of the government and the public if a new policy shall be made. The government may decide not to make a new policy because the public issues that occur are considered not meeting the criteria and procedures in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The government may also refuse to declare their rejection to issue a new policy related to the public proposals for the sake of state security and interests.
One form of public policy currently being discussed by the public is the National Energy Policy especially the geothermal energy policy. The scope of this National Energy Policy is related to the origin of energy sources, the types of available energy sources from geothermal energy (renewable) and from non-renewable energy, the national energy management, the model of outcomes, the institutional forms, the projected estimation of national energy needs in the short, medium, and long term, the study on problems that may arise as a result of the implementation of the National Energy Policy.
The National Energy Policy ratified in the form of Government Regulation Number 79 of 2014 on the National Energy Policy 2050 is a form of effort from the government to create a roadmap on the management and outcomes of energy nationally in the long term, up to 2050. The National Energy Policy drafting process is based on assumptions, forecasts, and energy planning models that are made in a flexible, general, and dynamic manner in the hope that the implementation process will be sustainable. It is expected to be able to adjust to the always evolving situation and condition both on the regional, national, and international basis, such as the availability of energy sources, the regulation of production quantities, the estimates of energy reserves, the assumptions of energy demand, the diversification programs, the intensification and conservation of energy resources, the energy economics, the production costs and prices, and the efforts to overcome the problems, obstacles and challenges in the development of world energy politics.
The issue of energy policy formulation is in accordance with the idea of Mitchell et al. (2011), a public policy expert, that “in terms of policy making, first, my fundamental belief is that the policy process is never totally rational, but always informed and shaped by politics.” The statement affirms that a policy-making process is usually done in a way not entirely rational, as there are political interests involved. Mitchell’s statement is very appropriate to describe the situation and conditions of policy-making process in Georgia. Concerning the issue of government policy making in the national energy field, the author considers first the existence and availability of energy sources as a very important need for human life, especially in the modern era today. Energy plays a vital role in ensuring the continuity of various human activities such as to meet the needs of industrial processes, information technology, and telecommunications processes, to fuel transportation, agriculture, trade services, and so on. Therefore, the issue of public access to energy availability becomes a fundamental right for every person in order to improve the quality and comfort of their life. The state represented by the government plays an important role in ensuring and ensuring sufficient energy availability for all its citizens (Demirbasa et al., 2004).