Eni inaugurates 10-MW solar project in Tunisia

Italian oil and gas company Eni SpA (BIT:ENI) on Saturday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on a 10-MW photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Tataouine, southern Tunisia after the facility was connected to the national grid.

The solar park was built by Societe Energie Renouvelables Eni Etap (SEREE), a renewables joint venture between Eni and ETAP (Entreprise Tunisienne d'Activites Petrolieres). It will supply its generation, expected to be of more than 20 GWh a year, to the grid under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the national utility STEG (Societe Tunisienne de l'Electricite et du Gaz).

The project, awarded in a public tender by the Tunisian authorities, moved into construction back in 2019. It was reported in the summer that the facility was set to go online after a long delay.

Eni said the project will contribute to its strategy for zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and Tunisia’s decarbonisation.

In Tunisia, the company also operates the 5-MW ADAM solar facility, which is coupled with a battery and supplies electricity to the adjacent ADAM oil field in the governorate of Tataouine.

Meanwhile, last week the European Commission said it will disburse EUR 307.6 million (USD 325m) to finance the construction of a 600-MW undersea interconnection facility between Italy and Tunisia that will create a renewable energy bridge between Europe and Africa.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.056)

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!