Tunisia Adds 8MW Solar Under Licensing Push

• Tunisia launches four 2-MW solar plants in Medenine—adding 8 MW under its licensing drive. With 187 renewable licenses, rooftop solar and utility projects cut costs and gas imports.

Tunisia has inaugurated four 2-MW photovoltaic plants in the Medenine governorate under its licensing regime, adding 8 MW of solar capacity. The projects, awarded in the fifth licensing round, involve about TND 16 million in investment, with officials pointing to lower electricity generation costs and reduced reliance on natural-gas imports.

The rollout reflects broader market expansion. Tunisia has issued 187 licenses covering roughly 287 MW of renewable capacity in the same framework, with units sized from 1 MW to 10 MW. Two 50-MW utility plants in Tozeur and Sidi Bouzid have started operating, while a 100-MW PV project in Kairouan has generated power since December 2025. Rooftop solar has also grown, with households installing more than 430 MW under a self-generation scheme.

Tunisia’s new 2-MW PV plants: costs, licensing, capacity growth, and gas import reduction?

- Project overview (new Medenine 2-MW plants)
- Four separate 2-MW utility-scale PV installations have been commissioned in Tunisia’s Medenine governorate, totaling 8 MW.

- Costs / investment scale (what’s known and how it’s framed)
- Total investment for the four projects is reported at around TND 16 million, supporting the case for low-cost, competitive solar generation under the country’s licensing approach.
- The reported investment level is used by officials to argue that small-to-medium PV blocks can be financed and delivered more quickly than larger single projects.

- Licensing and procurement framework
- The projects were awarded in Tunisia’s fifth round of the licensing scheme for renewable energy generation.
- Under this framework, developers receive a license to build and operate PV capacity within defined size bands (from small installations up to multi-megawatt projects).
- The Medenine projects are positioned as part of a continuing, round-based expansion rather than a one-off procurement.

- Capacity growth signal (how fast the pipeline is scaling)
- Tunisia has issued 187 licenses under the same licensing system, covering roughly 287 MW of renewable capacity in total.
- The experience with this staged rollout includes both smaller projects (such as the 2-MW Medenine units) and larger utility-scale developments, showing that the licensing regime supports a broader portfolio of project sizes.
- Additional commissioned capacity under the scheme demonstrates momentum, including multi-decade use of PV in multiple regions and expanding output beyond pilot-scale projects.

- Gas import reduction and grid impacts (how solar helps)
- By adding dispatchable-in-legal-schedule solar energy during daylight hours, the new PV capacity is intended to displace some thermal generation, lowering the amount of gas needed for power production.
- Officials link the commissioning of new solar plants to reduced natural-gas import dependence, reflecting a broader energy-security rationale for continued PV growth.
- The cumulative effect of multiple licensed PV projects (not just Medenine) is expected to strengthen that displacement outcome over time as more capacity comes online.