Tunisia Launches 1GW Solar Power Tender

The Tunisian authorities plan to allocate 1 GW of installed solar capacity to 10 projects through two procurement rounds.

The Tunisian Ministry of Energy, Mines and Renewable Energy has launched two new tenders for the deployment of 1 GW of photovoltaic power capacity.

In the first procurement round, the Tunisian authorities invited tenders for the construction of eight solar power plants with a capacity of 100 MW. The successful developers will be responsible for selecting the sites and acquiring the land for the projects.

The bidding will be carried out in four rounds. The deadline for submitting project proposals for the first round is 15 June 2023. The deadline for applications for the fourth and final round is set for September 2025, but no exact date has been set.

In the second tender, the Tunisian government wants to promote the construction of two 100 MW solar power plants in Hecha, in the Gabes province, and Khobna, in Sidi Bouzid province.

Interested developers will need to submit proposals by 18 May. The Tunisian government has not disclosed any other relevant details. The winning project is likely to sell power to Tunisia's state-owned grid operator Société tunisienne de l'électricité et du gaz (STEG) under a long-term power purchase agreement.

Tunisia is supporting utility-scale solar power through a series of 70 MW tenders, and has previously finalised a 500 MW solar tender in December 2019. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the country has only 95 MW of cumulative installed PV capacity by the end of 2021.