Tunisia issues tenders for 70MW solar power plants

The Tunisian government has issued a 5th call for expressions of interest for the construction of several 70 MWp photovoltaic solar power plants. Interested renewable energy Independent Power Producers (IPPs) have until 25 March 2021 to express their interest. 

The Tunisian government seeks to build six solar plants in its latest procurement round, with capacities of 10 MW each, in addition to 10 smaller solar arrays, each up to 1 MW in size, Tunisia’s Ministry of Energy, Mines and Renewable Energies said. 

The selected projects will sell electricity to Tunisia’s state-owned utility,  Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG), under a 20 year power purchase agreement. The issuance of tenders for procurement of new renewable energy capacity is in line with Tunisia’s energy plan that seeks to maximise the country’s renewable energy potential and minimise its reliance on fossil fuels. It is within this framework that the country launched a 5th call for procurement of renewable energy after the first call in May 2017. 

The Tunisian authorities set a goal to produce 3,5 gigawatts of the country’s total energy capacity from renewable energy by 2030. The country recently collaborated with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to launch a study programme for the development of Tunisia’s renewable energy sector. The procurement of new renewable energy capacity will help accelerate the country’s energy ambitions and facilitate decarbonisation efforts. 

Tunisia last tendered for renewable energy 3 months ago with interest to procure 60 MWp from several solar power stations. In its 3rd call the country received significant interest from several IPPs with notable ones such as Akuo Energy which joined forces with HBG Holding and Nour Energy to install a solar farm in Gabès in the south-east of the country. The Tunisian government also finalized a 500 MW solar tender in December 2019. Norwegian developer Scatec Solar was the biggest winner, with three projects totaling 300 MW.

Tunisia’s total installed PV capacity stood at just 62 MW at the end of 2019, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The North African country currently produces around 3 % of its electricity from renewable sources. 
The European Union is also expressing interest in Tunisia’s renewable energy potential with the Bloc planning to import renewable energy from the North African country as part of the carbon neutrality ambitions of the European Green Deal.