The Tunisian Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy has invited applications from interested developers for a 200 MW solar PV tender. Power generated will be procured by the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company or Société Tunisienne de l’Electricité et du Gaz (STEG).

The total capacity of the projects to be awarded to the independent power producers (IPP) is limited to 200 MW. The tender was announced on October 17, 2024. The last date to submit bids is January 31, 2025, according to the call on the ministry’s website.

Tunisia’s current electricity mix is heavily dependent on natural gas which, according to the ministry, represents around 97% of the electricity sector’s consumption. However, local natural gas resources can only cover around 1/3rd of the national requirement for electricity; hence, the country depends on expensive energy imports from Algeria.

To diversify its electricity mix and become self-sufficient in this space, Tunisia is targeting a transition to cleaner energy sources to increase the share of renewable energies to 30% by 2030. For this, it targets to install 3.815 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, comprising 868 MW of centralized solar PV projects, and 642 MW of rooftop PV capacity.

Previously, in January 2023, the ministry had opened a call for 800 MW AC solar PV capacity to be developed as 8×100 MW projects (see Tunisia Seeking Bidders For Around 1 GW Solar PV Capacity).