Tunisia aims to produce 8.3 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2050, Belhassen Chiboub, director general of electricity and energy transition at the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, said on Wednesday. Speaking at a workshop in Tunis organised in collaboration with the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), he added that the national green hydrogen strategy for 2050 aims to develop energy infrastructure and produce green fertiliser and electricity. It also aims to increase the use of this green energy in the industrial and transport sectors. Last June, Chiboub said this national strategy would serve to identify the national potential for the development of green hydrogen and the renewable energy capacity dedicated to it, to identify the uses and demand both domestically and for export, and agree on the local integration mechanisms to be put in place. The same official indicated that Tunisia could export between 5.5 and 6 million tonnes of green hydrogen to Europe by 2050. Referring to figures from the European Hydrogen Backbone initiative, a project for a European network to transport hydrogen by pipeline, the official said this quantity would represent Tunisia's share of the imports planned by Europe, mainly from Tunisia, Algeria and Libya (11 million tonnes of green hydrogen). To help export this product to Europe, the Tunisian government is planning to set up a network to transport green hydrogen from Gabès and Tataouine to Cap-Bon, he added. According to the Director General of Electricity and Energy Transition, the investment costs involved in developing this technology require substantial capital for Tunisia, adding that the production of one million tonnes of green hydrogen requires an overall investment of around USD 25 billion. "Consequently, Tunisia alone will not be able to bear these costs", he insisted.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse