Tunisia has signed two agreements with Norway and Japan for the construction of solar power plants in the regions of Sidi Bouzid and Tozeur.
The signing ceremony, which took place Wednesday, was presided over by Minister of Energy, Mines and Industry, Fatma Thabet Chiboub, and the Managing Director of the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (Steg), Faycal Trifa. Representatives of the Norwegian company Scatec and Aeolus, the Japanese subsidiary of the Toyota group, were also present.
These projects are part of Tunisia’s commitment to promoting renewable energies, and follow on from the 2018 international call for the installation of 500 megawatts of solar energy in five regions, including Sidi Bouzid and Tozeur.
More projects, in Gafsa and Tataouine, are already under way and should be operational between 2025 and 2026, while the Kairouan project is being financed by the International Finance Corporation and the African Development Bank.
These projects are part of Tunisia’s energy strategy for 2035, which aims to ensure the transition to clean energy and reduce carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. With these projects, the country aims to increase the share of renewable energy in overall production from 7% to 35% in six years, while guaranteeing energy security and accessibility for all. The overall investment to promote energy savings requires more than €200 million and will reduce CO2 emissions by 147,000 tonnes.
TunisianMonitorOnline (NejiMed)