Tunisia
The boundaries shown on the map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by Dii.
Dii ACTIVITIES
In April 2011, Dii opened an office in Tunis in order to be in the position to efficiently co-ordinate its activities in North Africa. René Buchler, former industry manager who worked notably as head of Siemens Tunisia, was appointed as North Africa Co-ordinator and head of Dii’s office in Tunis. Having lived and worked in this region for many years, Mr. Buchler has gathered invaluable experience implementing and developing large-scale projects and the necessary know-how and content transfer.
In Tunisia, STEG Énergies Renouvelables, a subsidiary of the Tunisian state utility company STEG, and Dii are currently working on a pre-feasibility study within the framework of a co-operation agreement signed by Dii and Tunisian authorities in 2011. The study focuses on substantial solar and wind energy projects in Tunisia. Technical and regulatory prerequisites, necessary for both local energy consumption and the export of electricity to neighbouring countries, as well as the capacity of the electricity network to integrate desert power, are being reviewed. The study is also concerned with identifying reference projects (PV, CSP, CSP Hybrid) with a total volume of 1 GW, with a particular focus on the Tunisia-Italy transmission link.
Country information
SOCIO-ECONOMIC DATA
- Population in 2010: 10 million (UN World Population Prospects)
- Estimated population in 2050: 13 million (UN World Population Prospects, medium scenario)
- Share of population under 15 years in 2010: 24% (Population Reference Bureau)
- Unemployment rate: 14% in 2008 (World Bank). According a report from Tunisian authorities, the unemployment rate in May 2011 was 18% and is expected to have further increased since then.
- GDP per capita ($2005, PPP) in 2010: $8,566 compared to $27,562 in the European Union (World Bank)
- CO2 emissions in kg per 2005 PPP $ of GDP in 2008: 0.3kg compared to 0.3kg in the European Union (World Bank)
ENERGY SITUATION
- Energy mix in 2010: The Tunisian generation mix is mainly based on oil (35%) and gas (63%) with only 2% renewable energy (mainly hydro and wind power) (Platts/UDI 2010)
- Energy mix in 2050: In its strategic study Desert Power 2050, Dii shows how Tunisia's energy mix could look like in 2050, in the context of an "EUMENA" electricity grid connecting the MENA region to Europe and mainly based on renewable energy. Click here to see the potential of Tunisia in terms of renewable energy production.
- Renewable energy installed capacity in 2011: approx. 50 MW of wind operational and 120 MW of wind to be commissioned soon (STEG)
- Electricity consumption per capita in 2010: approx. 1,400 kWh/per capita (Arab Union of Electricity, UN World Population Prospects)
- Growth in electricity demand: approx. 5% compound annual growth rate between 2010-2020 (Forecast by Arab Union of Electricity)
RENEWABLE ENERGY
- Tunisian renewable energy policy: In order to further expand national renewable energy production, the Tunisian government adopted a policy titled “Plan Solaire Tunisien” in 2009 which sets a target of 4.7 GW renewable energy capacity to be installed by 2030.
- STEG Énergies Renouvelables: Primary implementer of the Tunisian solar plan, STEG Énergies Renouvelables (STEG RE) is a private company (owned by STEG, Société Tunisienne de l’Électricité et du Gaz) which is responsible for the development of renewable energy in Tunisia.
- Renewable energy capacities in operation and planning: In 2009, STEG inaugurated a wind farm in Sidi Daoud in north-eastern Tunisia, the first to be connected to the national grid, thus paving the way to the scaling-up of wind power in the country. Tunisia plans the scaling up of the Sidi Daoud plant capacity as well as the installation of new wind energy plants such as the 120 MW wind project in Bizerte. Feasibility studies for solar energy development are underway.
