Tunisia - 2 wind power plant installations planned

The wind farms of El Haouaria in the Cap Bon area will be soon beefed up by 2 other plants in the governorate of Bizerta. The plants will produce a total of 120 MW enabling the country to save annually over 120,000 TOE of fuel and 43,000 cubic meters of water. It will also help bringing down emission to 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

With 30 month achievement date limit and an estimated cost of EUR 200 million, the Metline and Kchabta stations will generate, approximately TND 380 million. The project is financed as part of a loan from the Spanish Fund of Assistance to Development.

This project, which is part of Tunisia's strategy aiming at investing in renewable energies as a way of achieving sustainable development, as well as saving on expensive petrol imports, will also help the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company to extend the project, thanks to the setting up of 26 additional air generators on each of the 2 sites, in order to raise the capacity of the 2 power stations from 120 MW to 190 MW. This operation will be financed by FAD, by means of EUR 105 million.

In the aftermath of the recent soar in the prices of hydrocarbons, and within the context of a highly volatile energy market in general, Tunisia's wind farms are currently producing 6% of the country's electricity. It is expected that by 2011, wind power will produce 300 MW. Previous studies have shown that the country's wind power potential is estimated at 1000 MW.