Winners and prices of Tunisia’s 500 MW PV tender

• The Tunisian Ministry of Mines and Energy has confirmed that Norway’s Scatec Solar has secured 300 MW at three sites. It also revealed that France’s Engie and China’s TBEA each picked up 100 MW projects. The lowest bid came in at $0.025/kWh, while $0.034/kWh was the highest offer.

The Tunisian Ministry of Mines and Energy has revealed the five winning projects of its 500 MW solar tender, which was held in the summer.

Norwegian developer Scatec Solar was the biggest winner, with three projects totaling 300 MW. It will build a 200 MW facility in Tataouine governorate and will sell the power to local utility Société Tunisienne de l’Electricité et du Gaz for TND 71.783 ($25.34)/MWh. The tariff was the lowest bid in the tender, as anticipated in July by Mehdi Majoul, an adviser to the Tunisian energy ministry.

Scatec Solar also won a 50 MW project in Tozeur governorate. It will sell the electricity from that project at a rate of TND 79.379/MWh. It will also build another 50 MW facility in Sidi Bouzid governorate and sell the electricity at the same rate.

The ministry said a consortium led by Engie and Morrocan energy producer Nareva won a 100 MW solar project in Gafsa governorate. The companies offered a tariff of TND 79.95/MWh.

Another consortium led by Chinese industrial group TBEA and Dubai-based energy producer AMEA Power won a 100 MW project in Kairouan governorate, at a rate of TND 97.92/MWh.

The government did not provide any additional financial or technical details about the projects. It had prequalified 16 developers for the tender, including Enel and Total. EDF also made the initial cut as part of a consortium with UAE-based Masdar and Japan’s Mitsui. Other bidders included Canadian Solar, Spanish developers Acciona and Fotowatio, and Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power.

Tunisia is also supporting large-scale solar through smaller 70 MW tenders, but only domestic companies are allowed to compete.