Tunisia Comes Up With Solar Power Tenders Of 1 GW

• The Tunisian government wishes to develop 8 solar power plants having capacities of 100 MW in the very first procurement exercise.
• Tenders will be granted in four various rounds.

Tunisia is catching up on its renewable energy targets to decarbonise its economic climate and contribute to the global efforts for dealing with the difficulty of climate change. In a fresh development, Tunisia's Ministry of Energy, Mines and Renewable Energies has released 2 new tenders for the development of solar PV projects of cumulative capacity of 1 GW.

The Tunisian government intends to construct eight solar energy plants having capacities of 100 MW in the first procurement exercise. According to the strategies, the project programmers will need to recognize as well as secure land for the solar projects.

Tunisia intends to produce 30% of electricity from renewables by the end of this decade. The government is also aiming to decrease its carbon intensity by 41% by 2030.

In the existing system of points, tenders will be awarded in four various rounds. Bidders can submit the solar energy project proposals by June 15, 2023 for the first round. The submission for the fourth as well as final round can be carried out in September 2025; the date is yet to be disclosed.

The Tunisian authorities will certainly look to establish two 100 MW solar plants in the second tender in Hecha and also Khobna, in the governorates of Gabes and Sidi Bouzid. For this, the project developers will certainly be required to submit their proposals until May 18.

According to reports, the projects that will be chosen for development most likely sell green power to Société tunisienne de l'électricité et du gaz (STEG), the state-owned grid operator of Tunisia. Some lasting power purchase agreements are expected to be inked for the purpose. Other details of procurement are yet to be divulged by the authorities.

By the end of 2021, the overall mounted solar PV capacity of Tunisia was just 95 MW according to the IRENA.

Previously this month, the African Development Bank Group accepted a $27 million and EUR10 million financing plan to co-finance the building of Tunisia's 100 MW Kairouan solar energy plant. It is among the 5 sustainable projects awarded in 2019 by the Tunisian government.

Recently, its Energy Minister announced that the Mediterranean nation wants to add 2000 MW of green energy via RE tenders. In December 2019, Tunisia completed a 500 MW solar energy tender.