Solar energy settles in Sidi Bouzid permanently. The Embassy of Japan in Tunisia has announced the selection of a new large-scale photovoltaic project, with a capacity of 100 MW, in this region of the Tunisian West Center-West.
This ambitious project benefits from the support of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan within the framework of the mechanism for the exchange of carbon credits (MCC), a system registered in article 6 of the Paris Agreement and aimed at encouraging initiatives with low carbon issues.
Concretely, the MCC makes it possible to grant a subsidy covering up to 50 % of the initial investment, with a ceiling fixed at 2 billion yen – or about 42.1 million Tunisian dinars – per project. This initiative constitutes a new step in Tunisian-Japanese cooperation for the energy transition, which began in 2022 during the Ticad8 in Tunis, through the signing of a specific memorandum of understanding.
Supported by a Japanese and Norwegian joint venture, the project will be implemented by Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation, an actor recognized in the field of clean energy. It should avoid the issue of more than 91,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year. This is the third project supported in this context in Tunisia, after two similar power stations launched in September 2024, also in Sidi Bouzid and Tozeur.
This turning point towards solar is part of a long tradition of energy cooperation between Tunisia and Japan. Three thermal power plants in Radès have already been built with the support of the Japanese government, illustrating the continuity of Japanese engagement in the development of the country’s energy infrastructure.
With this new project, the Sidi Bouzid region confirms its role as a pilot territory for the energy transition in Tunisia, while international collaboration in terms of climate is reinforced in the field.
