Tunisia Backup Power Storage Project

Tunisia must build up and expand its power generation system to increase the energy access rate to 100%. Building new power plants – no matter the technology – will require new infrastructure (including power grids), spatial planning, a stable policy framework, and access to finance.

We found that Tunisia can cost-effectively build a reliable electricity supply based on local power generation, with high proportions of solar and wind power. With an onshore wind potential greater than 30 times the projected 2050 demand and a solar potential greater than 100 times that demand, Tunisia has exceptional renewable energy potential.

Because renewable synthetic fuels require a (gas) pipeline infrastructure, this technology is not widely used in Tunisia's energy plan because the costs in the early development stages are relatively high. It is assumed that synthetic fuels and hydrogen will not enter Tunisia's energy system before 2040.

The main energy demand is required in the residential sector (category “Other Sectors”), whereas only 26% of the energy is for industry use and 33% for the transport sector. Tunisia's electricity demand has increased to a significant extent, by more than twice the growth in the final energy demand (46% compared with 20%).

(Of the 16 years in this range, 11 of them had > 95% gas generation).7 Tunisia's primary energy consumption was 347 PJ/a in 2005 and grew to 440 PJ/a in 2020 (at an average growth rate of 1.19%). If the primary energy supply continues to grow according to the average historical rate, the primary energy demand will reach 628 PJ/a by 2050.

In terms of Tunisia's renewable electricity potential, the vast majority of future generation will be solar PV and onshore wind.