17 May 2017

(TAP) - Promoters ready to invest in solar photovoltaic and wind energy must submit their offers, within a period not exceeding 15 November 2017, Minister of Energy, Mines and Renewable Energies, Héla Cheikhrouhou told media.

She recalled Wednesday, at the opening of a conference organised on the sidelines of the international show on renewable energies, that the Department of Energy published, since May 11, 2017, a tender for installation of 210 MW of renewable energy, with an envelope of 400 million dinars.

Cheikhrouhou pointed out that projects with a capacity of 10 MW (i.e. projects with an estimated investment value of about 20 MD), projects with a capacity of 30 MW (60MD) and micro-projects of 1MW of solar energy (2MD) to 5MW of wind energy (5 MD) are subject to authorisations according to law number 12 of 2015 to give more chances to the Tunisian promoters.

A committee was appointed to select the projects according to established standards (experience of the promoter, skills, financial possibilities, site of the project and study of its environmental impacts).

Regarding the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG), the minister said that the company will buy 60 MW of solar-powered electricity from major projects and 10 MW and micro-projects as well as projects with a capacity of 70 Mw ( 60 + 10) of the wind. "The cost of production must be reasonable so that STEG customers can benefit from these energies," she said.

Tunisia uses fossil energy to cover most of its energy needs. The share of renewable energies has not exceeded the 1% threshold in the energy mix while the country has an enormous potential of solar energy. The Tunisian Solar Plan (PST) plans to increase this share to 30% by 2030.

© Tunis-Afrique Presse 2017