Solar Plan: to produce 30 per cent of electricity from renewable energy sources

Context

In May 2005, the Tunisian Government passed a law promoting electricity generation from renewable sources. A government decision in 2016 and further implementing provisions brought the law into effect.

The law provides for 30 per cent of electricity to be produced from renewable energy sources by 2030: an ambitious goal, since the current share is 3 per cent. The rest of the country’s electricity is produced by natural gas.

Furthermore, the Tunisian Government is committed under the Paris Agreement to Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).These provide for a 41 per cent reduction in the country’s emissions by 2030.The energy sector, which in 2012 was responsible for more than half of Tunisia’s greenhouse gas emissions, will have to make the largest contribution.

Objective

The Tunisian Government is successfully implementing the Tunisian Solar Plan (TSP), developing renewable energy on a large scale and complying with the agreed climate protection contributions.

Approach

The project provides policy advice with the support of national and international technical, financial and legal experts. It aims to develop effective regulations and structures, as well as to build and optimise tendering procedures to attract private national and international capital for renewable energy in Tunisia.

Through continuing education and professional training courses, specialists and managers from participating institutions and Tunisian private businesses are improving their skills to help implement the TSP. Internationally recognised experts are instructing them in the requisite methods and equipping them with new software tools.

The project is also setting up a financing agreement with Tunisian universities to build a specialist network for macro-economic analysis. This is aimed at supporting policy-makers in their ongoing efforts to adapt the energy and low-emissions strategy.

Results

• The project has prepared tender documents for large-scale photovoltaic and wind farms, as well as proposals for improving the award process for small-scale projects.
• The call for tenders for 500-megawatt photovoltaic plants resulted in one of the current cheapest tariffs on the African continent: 22 euros per megawatt-hour.
• The processes laid down in the TSP have been compiled into guidelines for developers and investors.
• Numerous training courses and software tools are being provided for the national energy supplier to prepare it for the challenge of variable renewable energy sources.
• The Tunisian private sector is receiving support for the implementation of the projects, as well as targeted training.
• The École Nationale des Ingénieurs Tunis (ENIT) has signed a financing agreement with the project to build a pool of experts for macro-economic modelling.