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Tunisia has secured World Bank support to fund reforms designed to enable 2.8 GW of new wind and solar capacity by 2028—an agenda that shifts focus from individual projects to the rules, institutions, and grid upgrades that make delivery at scale possible. The package targets faster permitting, clearer offtake frameworks, and investment in transmission so private capital can move from interest to final investment decisions. Why reforms first? Tunisia’s solar and wind resource is robust, but timelines have been stretched by opaque approvals, grid bottlenecks, and limited bankable offtake options. World Bank-backed programs typically press on four levers: (1) streamlined, time-bound permitting with one-stop digital portals; (2) standardized PPAs with fair risk allocation and currency safeguards; (3) tariff and market reforms that clarify pass-through and reduce arrears; and (4) grid investments—substations, lines, and system-strength upgrades—to integrate variable generation without compromising reliability. On the technical side, the next wave of builds will mirror global best practice. Utility-scale PV plants using high-efficiency modules and single-axis trackers, DC/AC ratios for annual yield, and plant controllers meeting stricter grid-code requirements for reactive power, ride-through, and ramp-rate controls. Wind projects will deploy modern turbines with advanced grid-forming capabilities. Co-located batteries—two to four hours—will become more common to shift energy into evening peaks, improve capture rates, and provide fast frequency response. Execution will hinge on sequencing: prioritize shovel-ready zones where transmission is strong or expandable, anchor early auctions with transparent documentation, and lock long-lead electrical gear—transformers, switchgear, protection systems—whose availability often dictates schedules. Competitive procurement can pull in regional and international sponsors, while local content and skills programs ensure benefits land in Tunisian communities. Environmental and social standards remain central to concessional finance. Expect rigorous impact assessments, biodiversity plans, stakeholder engagement, and clear decommissioning and recycling pathways for modules and balance-of-plant components. If the reform package sticks, Tunisia can convert pipeline into COD at a sustainable cadence—reducing fuel imports, stabilizing prices, and laying groundwork for green industry and potential cross-border power trade.

stated recently on its website. The brand-new projects will certainly help Tunisia decrease its natural gas imports by 6% and reduce costs by TND 130

Tunisia's Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy has finalized power offtake agreements with international firms to develop 500 MW of solar energy projects. These contracts are pivotal for the construction of solar parks, marking a significant step in Tunisia's renewable energy expansion.The initiative aligns with Tunisia's strategy to diversify its energy sources and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The involvement of international companies underscores the global interest in Tunisia's renewable sector, potentially boosting the local economy and creating jobs. This move is expected to enhance the country's energy security and contribute to its environmental sustainability goals. How Will Tunisia's 500 MW Solar Projects Impact Its Energy Strategy and Economy? Diversification of Energy Sources: The 500 MW solar projects will significantly contribute to Tunisia's goal of diversifying its energy mix, reducing dependency on imported fossil fuels, and enhancing energy independence. Economic Growth and Job Creation: The development of these solar parks is expected to stimulate economic growth by attracting foreign investment and creating numerous job opportunities in construction, maintenance, and operations within the renewable energy sector. Energy Security Enhancement: By increasing the share of solar energy in its energy portfolio, Tunisia can improve its energy security, ensuring a more stable and reliable energy supply that is less vulnerable to global oil and gas market fluctuations. Environmental Benefits: The shift towards solar energy will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to Tunisia's environmental sustainability goals and its commitments under international climate agreements. Technological Advancement and Expertise: Collaboration with international firms can facilitate the transfer of technology and expertise, enhancing local capabilities in renewable energy technologies and fostering innovation in the sector. Regional Renewable Energy Hub Potential: Successful implementation of these projects could position Tunisia as a regional leader in renewable energy, potentially opening up opportunities for exporting clean energy to neighboring countries. Policy and Regulatory Framework Strengthening: The projects may prompt further development and refinement of Tunisia's policy and regulatory framework for renewable energy, encouraging more investments and facilitating smoother project implementation in the future.

Tunisia has launched a licensing call for 200 MW of solar PV projects, extending a strategy that relies on competitively selected, mid-sized plants rather than only large utility-scale projects. The measure is intended to speed permitting and simplify grid integration through standardized project sizing, allowing capacity to be added in steady increments.For Tunisia, expanding solar is meant to cut reliance on imported gas and improve generation cost stability. For developers, a licensing allocation provides regulatory certainty that supports progress into grid studies, power off-take negotiations, and financing. As solar penetration rises, integration constraints are becoming more prominent, prompting some projects to reserve space and electrical capacity for potential future battery additions. How will Tunisia’s 200 MW solar licensing model affect permitting and grid integration? Permitting will likely be streamlined through standardization: a fixed 200 MW licensing tranche and defined “mid-sized” project parameters can reduce case-by-case administrative reviews, enabling clearer timelines for land, environmental screening, and licensing documentation. Clearer technical pre-conditions may be attached to bids: licensing models often specify grid-connectivity requirements upfront (e.g., connection point options, interconnection studies to be referenced), which can shorten the sequence between permitting and engineering design. Better alignment between licensing and grid-study schedules: because projects selected through a licensing round can proceed into grid assessment as a group, grid operators can plan studies and reinforcement work with more predictable load/generation profiles. More manageable connection queue impacts: smaller, standardized plants typically spread generation increments over time, which can reduce sudden spikes in interconnection requests and help the grid operator manage upgrade priorities. Grid integration will likely benefit from phased capacity additions: adding solar in defined blocks can make it easier to coordinate commissioning dates, ramp profiles, and operational readiness steps (protection settings, forecasting integration, dispatch rules). Reduced uncertainty for developers in technical approvals: licensing tends to provide stronger certainty on what will be approved (site footprint assumptions, capacity range, metering/SCADA expectations), lowering the risk of redesign late in the process. Easier coordination of system impact analyses: with a defined licensing framework, studies such as voltage impact, short-circuit contribution, and fault-ride-through requirements can be prepared using comparable templates across projects. Potential for standardized grid-code compliance: a structured licensing approach can encourage consistent inverter behavior and grid compliance documentation, lowering the cost and duration of compliance verification at the interconnection stage. Improved off-take and banking interactions: while not purely a grid issue, a licensing-driven pipeline usually clarifies which projects are “interconnection-ready,” which can accelerate power purchase and financing milestones that depend on grid availability. Constraints may still shape outcomes—especially on capacity and voltage: as solar penetration grows, licensing will not eliminate limitations (transformer/loading margins, reactive power needs, curtailment risk), but it can make those constraints visible earlier through pre-defined connection and study requirements. More explicit provisions for curtailment and flexibility: the model may increase the likelihood that licensees are required (or encouraged) to plan for constrained generation—through dispatchable features, performance guarantees, or future-ready electrical design. Battery readiness could be better integrated at the electrical level: even if batteries are not part of the initial licensing scope, standardized plants can reserve space and grid interface capabilities more systematically, reducing retrofit complexity later. Grid operator planning may become more proactive: a predictable, competitive set of projects helps the operator prioritize network reinforcement and operational upgrades (substations, lines, control systems) instead of responding reactively to individual applications. Net effect: licensing should reduce friction between permitting and interconnection, but the practical integration benefits will depend on how tightly the licensing terms tie selection to confirmed connection capacity and how quickly interconnection studies and any reinforcement works are executed.

Tunisian Ministry of Energy, Mines and Renewable Energies has actually tendered another 70 MW of solar PV capacity. There are two parts to this tender. In the

Tunisian state-owned energy Société Tunisienne de l'Electricité et du Gaz (STEG) is planning a 200 kW floating PV plant at the Lake of Tunis in the capital. A press release provided by the power company stated the installation needs to be operational following year and will power the Tunis area of Berges du Lac. The project will be funded with an unspecified amount from the Private Sector Study and Aid Fund of the Directorate-General of the French Ministry of Economy. The plant will be constructed by French power gigantic Total, via its Qair renewables advancement business, previously Qadran International. The project will come under the guidance of the Tunisian Ministry of Energy, Mines and also Energy Transition, which has actually also asked Qair to examine the country's floating solar capacity. Qair is already constructing a 10 MW ground-mounted solar plant in Tunisia which was selected by the federal government in a tender finalized in June. In January, the Total-owned programmer safeguarded the tender to construct a 4 MW floating PV project in the Seychelles by sending the lowest cost bid for the power to be generated: $0.095/ kWh.

won a 132‑MW solar award in Tunisia, reinforcing a shift from gas and imports to fast-build, high-irradiance utility PV near existing substations. The plant

Solar has been awarded three solar power plant projects in Tunisia totaling approximately 360 MW, following an international tender launched by the

Tunisian prime minister Youssef Chahed has officially commissioned the country’s first large-scale solar park, the 10 MW Tozeur I solar facility. The project is owned by Tunisian state-owned utility Société tunisienne de l’électricité et du gaz (STEG), and is located near Tozeur, in the south of the country. STEG kicked off the tender for the project in 2014. Italian solar developer Ternienergia, won the €12.5 million EPC contract for the project in March 2017. The €16 million project was financed by German development bank KFW, under Tunisia’s Plan Solaire Tunisien (PST) program. KFW provided a €12 million low-interest rate loan for the plant’s construction, and a further €0.5 million for additional services related to the project. A twin project is coming STEG is also currently developing another 10 MW solar park in the area, the Centrale Photovoltaique Tozeur II. The tender for this project was issued by the company in December 2017. Both Tozeur projects are the only large-scale solar plants being developed in the country outside of the government’s tender mechanism, which includes two separate 70 MW tenders for projects up to 10 MW, and a unique tender for 500 MW of larger solar parks. Preliminary results of this tender indicate surprisingly low bids, the lowest coming in at $0.0244/kWh. Projects selected in all of these auctions are expected to sell power to STEG under a long-term PPA. Under its renewable energy strategy, Tunisia aims at achieving 4.7 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.

Tunisia’s Ministry of Energy, Mines and Renewable Energies has kicked-off a third tender for the development and construction of several solar power plants not exceeding 10 MW in size. Through this third procurement exercise, the Tunisian government is seeking to build six solar power plants with an installed power capacity of 10 MW each and ten 1 MW small solar parks. The deadline to submit project proposals is November 26 and plants will have to be constructed under the Build Own Operate (BOO) mode. Selected projects will sell electricity to Tunisia’s state-owned utility, Société Tunisienne de l’électricité et du gaz (STEG) under a long-term PPA. The tender is part of a series planned by the Tunisian government, which aims to install around 1 GW of renewable energy capacity in the period 2017-2020. Through a first tender of the same kind, which was launched in May 2017, the Tunisian government contracted seven 10 MW projects from domestic companies and Tunisian-international consortia. Construction the first project started in May. A second tender for another 70 MW of solar was launched last year. In this process, the Tunisian authorities decided on six 10 MW projects proposed by Tunisian and international developers. The ministry is also preparing to tender another 500 MW of solar for larger projects. So far, it has released a list of 16 prequalified developers. The round will facilitate the construction of a 200 MW solar plant in Tataouine, in the Sahara Desert; two 100 MW PV facilities in Kairouan and Gafsa; and two 50 MW solar parks in Sidi Bouzid and Tozeur. Under its renewable energy strategy, Tunisia aims to deploy around 4.7 GW of clean energy capacity by 2030.  

park will certainly be located in Metbassta, Kairouan Governate, in northern Tunisia's inland desert, and also will certainly can generating nearly 230 GWh

with state-owned energy Societe Tunisienne de l'electricite et du gaz (STEG). Tunisia aims to mount 1.25 GW of renewables in 2021-2030 in accordance with a 30%

executives at Snam SpA, plans to build renewable energy plants in Algeria and Tunisia, exporting the energy to Italy via subsea lines. The project has received

has started at Eni's solar plant in Tataouine, southerly Tunisia, following its connection to the national grid. The 10MW plant will supply over 20GWh

to co-finance the building of the 100 MW Kairouan solar energy plant in Tunisia. The new financial aid covers $10 million and one more EUR10 million from the