Show all / Hide all

Mr. van Son, how will Dii achieve its mission?

We are very aware that we can only achieve our mission if we thoroughly understand the interests of the many stakeholders that are involved in “power from the desert”. The countries in North Africa and the Middle East are the owners of the sun and wind energy on their territory. They are the ones to decide what will happen with that energy and how they want to benefit from its use. My personal experience is that the political leaders of these countries are highly aware of their responsibility for the future. Some countries will become importers, others exporters. The export potential is huge and will become very important for Europe. Together with all the relevant partners we need to organize a process from which everybody will benefit. This is a highly challenging process as it involves many different countries and cultures. They all have their questions, interests and expectations. We must carefully and openly address this. Our approach must of course be transparent. We can achieve this by splitting the process up into many small puzzle pieces that shall fit together in the end.

What does Dii offer its partners in North Africa, the Middle East and Europe?

Dii acts as enabler and catalyst for desert power in partnership with international and local political and industrial representatives. We begin with talks with political authorities and agree on a mode of cooperation. The countries themselves specify the conditions for this cooperation. Dii’s role may vary according to the desired format of the collaboration. Dii develops, for example, a feasible business case for suitable renewable energy projects. This includes the preparation of economic and regulatory conditions for the export of electricity from the deserts to Europe. Dii promotes these projects among governments and institutions which have a long term interest in desert power and the associated socio-economic benefits. Dii will itself not financially invest in the project, nor will it be an operator of related assets and infrastructure, but it will ensure that development projects come to fruition. This also requires the establishment of an appropriate framework and a lasting (market) structure for renewable energies which will make commitment to solar energy plants and wind farms, as well as integrated networks, attractive to public and private investors.

How are the political changes in North Africa affecting Dii’s work?

We are following the democratic processes in the region with great interest. What we observe is a growing affinity in the population to build a future based on sustainable energy. As the population is expected to grow rapidly and as many young people in particular will require perspectives, development of large scale solar and wind sectors will offer new jobs. The use of sustainable resources for producing energy will also help secure the supply and create independence from fossil fuels. In Tunisia, Dii has launched a feasibility study, together with the government, in order to investigate the political, regulatory, economic and technological framework for wind and solar projects. In Egypt, Dii is working intensively on the development of joint projects.