Norwegian and Japanese Firms to Develop 100MW Solar Farms in Tunisia

Tunisia has entered into agreements with Norway and Japan to construct solar power plants in the central region of Sidi Bouzid and the western region of Tozeur. The combined capacity of these solar farms will reach 100MW.

Novo News reports that Tunisia has signed agreements with Norway and Japan as part of its ambitious plan to boost renewable energy from 7% to 35% by 2030, while cutting carbon emissions by 45%. The solar power plants, to be built in Sidi Bouzid and Tozeur, will contribute 100MW to this goal.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Tunisia's energy minister, Fatma Thabet Chiboub, and Faycal Trifa, the general director of the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company. Representing the foreign partners were Norwegian renewables firm Scatec and Aeolus, a subsidiary of Japan's Toyota Tsusho. Aeolus recently acquired a 49% stake in Scatec's Tunisian operations.

The projects are backed by a €52 million World Bank guarantee, offering protection against force majeure events like war or expropriation. Additional solar projects are already progressing in Gafsa and Tataouine, with completion expected between 2025 and 2026, while another in Kairouan is being financed by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation and the African Development Bank. These investments, totaling around €200 million, are forecasted to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 147,000 tonnes.

Scatec, which has secured a 20-year power-purchase agreement with Tunisian Electricity and Gas, has the option to extend the deal by 10 years. The company will build the solar farms on an EPC basis, while also managing and maintaining them. With Tunisia’s solar potential estimated at 840GW for photovoltaics and 1 terawatt for concentrated solar, the country is well-positioned to make significant strides in clean energy.