Agreement to build two solar power plants in Gafsa and Tataouine signed in Kasbah

Tunis: An agreement for the construction of two photovoltaic solar power plants in the governorates of Gafsa and Tataouine was signed Wednesday at the Government Palace in Kasbah. At an estimated cost of 800 million dinars and with a capacity of 300 megawatts, these two plants, will be built under concession. The agreement was signed by Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines, Fatma Thabet, Minister of State Property and Land Affairs, Mohamed Rekik, the CEO of STEG, Faycel Trifa, and an Emirati and a French investor. The project is part of a call for tenders for the development of renewable energy generation projects, with a first batch of projects targeting the production of 500 MW of photovoltaic energy. At the signing ceremony, Wael Chouchane, Secretary of State to the Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, in charge of energy transition, said the Gafsa plant will have a production capacity of 100 MW and the Tataouine plant will have a capacity of 200 MW. These two plants will create 100 jobs. He anno unced that construction would begin in 2025 and production would start in 2026. He went on to say that these projects represent a major step forward in Tunisia's energy transition, adding that they will help reduce the need to import natural gas and guarantee the country's energy security. The foundation stone for the photovoltaic power plant was laid in the El Metbasta region (Kairouan governorate). It will have a capacity of 100 MW (under the concession system). The secretary of state said this project is part of the first phase of the renewable energy programme, which has approved five projects with a capacity of 500 MW in five governorates. Chouchane said that these projects would reduce the cost of producing and selling electricity by a third compared to the cost of producing electricity using natural gas. He added that these projects would have a positive impact on several regions, such as Kairouan, Gafsa and Tataouine, and announced that other projects would soon be implemented in the governorates of Gafsa and Tozeur at a total cost of 300 million dinars. The Secretary of State announced that the government intends to launch a series of projects and tenders between 2024 and 2025 with a production capacity of 1,700 MW. CEO of STEG, Faisal Trifa, said that these projects would reduce the deficit in the trade and energy balance. The Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, Samia Charfi, stressed the importance of this project, which aims to diversify energy sources by using clean energy and photovoltaic technologies to ensure Tunisia's energy transition. She also reaffirmed that Tunisia's ambition, through the implementation of alternative energy projects, is to improve its energy independence, diversify the energy mix used to produce electricity and control the energy compensation budget, in addition to developing the green economy and contributing to the global effort to reduce gas emissions. The National Energy Strategy has set the target of achieving 35% of electricity production from renewable sour ces by 2030. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse