After years of stasis, Tunisia’s renewable energy ambitions are finally advancing. Solar PV projects totaling 500MW awarded at the end of 2019 (MEES, 20 December 2019), the equivalent of more than ten times current installed solar capacity, are at long last moving forward.

Dubai-based Amea Power is set to be the biggest player in the sector. On 8 May it broke ground on a 100MW project at Metbassta in Kairouan governorate 100km south of the capital Tunis (see map) as well as signing a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for a further 200MW of capacity at Tataouine in Tunisia’s far south. The latter consists of capacity awarded to Scatec in 2019 but since relinquished by the Norwegian firm (MEES, 2 February). (CONTINUED - 1141 WORDS)