A new 10 MW photovoltaic plant has started production in Tunisia.
The plant, installed by the Italian energy company Eni in the city of Tataouine, will contribute to the country’s decarbonisation process.
It will supply the Tunisian national electricity grid with over 20 GWh of energy per year by ensuring savings of around 211,000 tons of CO2 over the life of the plant.
The plant was built by Societe Energie Renouvelables Eni Etap, or Seree, a joint venture between Eni and Entreprise Tunisienne d’Activites Petrolieres, operating in the production of energy from renewable sources. It was inaugurated with a ceremony in the presence of the Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines of Tunisia Neila Gonji, the Italian Ambassador in Tunisia Fabrizio Saggio and local authorities.
The clean electricity produced in Tataouine will be sold to Societe Tunisienne de l’Electricite et du Gaz under a 20-year agreement.
Saggio said that the inauguration of this plant comes after the recent green light from the EU on funding the 200-km-long underwater power line project connecting Italy and Tunisia to import electricity generated from renewable energy sources.
“It shows the confirmation of Italy’s commitment to support Tunisia and the growing centrality of the renewable energy sector in the cooperation between our countries,” he told Arab News.
In Tunisia, Eni also operates the Adam photovoltaic field, with a peak capacity of 5 MW. The plant is a hybrid generation system, one of the most innovative and efficient in the world.
Eni has been present in Tunisia since 1961. The company’s upstream activities are concentrated in the southern desert areas and in the Mediterranean offshore, through the Global Gas & LNG Portfolio for the management of the Transmed gas pipeline, which connects Algeria to Italy through Tunisia.