Tunisia's Energy Paradox: A Call to Action for Renewable Energy
Tunisia currently exhibits an energy dependence rate of around 60%, despite its largely untapped solar and wind potential. In this context, developing renewable energy is no longer an option, but a national urgency.
The Current Energy Landscape
Tunisia is facing an energy paradox. On one hand, its electricity production relies almost entirely on natural gas and fossil fuels, with over 90% of electricity generated from polluting and imported sources. On the other hand, the country has exceptional potential for developing renewable energy, including solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. This situation creates increasing vulnerability, as illustrated by a decline in energy independence to only 39% in March 2025, and increased dependence on imports. Every increase in the price of imported gas or electricity directly affects households and businesses, threatening national economic stability.
The Need for a Transition to Renewable Energy
In this context, transitioning to renewable energy appears as a strategic solution, capable of strengthening the country's sovereignty, stabilizing costs, and preparing a sustainable future. However, it is not just a technical or economic issue, as behind these figures are families, businesses, and young professionals waiting for concrete perspectives and ambitious actions. Today, Tunisia is at a crossroads where political ambition, targeted investments, and citizen mobilization could transform an energy challenge into an opportunity for the entire nation.
Untapped Renewable Potential
Currently, Tunisia's energy mix remains unbalanced, and energy demand is growing regularly, exposing the country to structural tensions. Electricity production in Tunisia still relies mainly on fossil fuels, primarily natural gas, which accounts for around 90-97% of the national energy mix, while the contribution of renewable energy remains marginal, around 6% according to recent data. Furthermore, as of May 2025, national electricity production reached 7,065 GWh, but most of this production is still ensured by gas. This situation leads to increased dependence on energy imports, particularly gas and electricity from Algeria, which covered nearly 11% of Tunisia's market needs during this period. This vulnerability exposes the population to international price volatility and increases the national energy bill, limiting the competitiveness of businesses and weakening the economy.
Opportunities and Challenges
Despite this, Tunisia has considerable potential in the field of renewable energy. The generous sunshine, favorable areas for wind power, and geography adapted to large solar installations offer a rare opportunity. For now, the share of renewables in the energy mix remains modest, representing only 6% of national production, but development initiatives are multiplying. Residential solar self-production is progressing, with around 350 MW of photovoltaic roofs installed by the end of 2024, and authorized projects for the tertiary sector, industry, and agriculture. These figures translate to an encouraging start to the energy transition, but they remain far below the country's real potential.
A Strategic Lever for Energy Security
Developing renewable energy is more than an ecological gesture; it is a strategic lever for strengthening energy security and reducing dependence on imports. As local fossil resources decline, the gradual substitution of fossil fuels and imported electricity with national renewable sources could allow Tunisia to regain autonomy and stabilize its supply. Mastering energy costs is also a major challenge, as fossil fuels remain subject to international market fluctuations. Therefore, betting on solar, wind, and hydroelectric power, immutable resources, would make these costs more predictable, benefiting both households and businesses.
Economic and Social Opportunities
On another level, developing renewable energy represents an economic and social opportunity. Tunisia's solar and wind potential attracts local and international investors, not only for electricity production but also for innovative projects such as green hydrogen or clean energy export. These investments can create jobs, modernize energy infrastructure, and support sustainable development, reconciling economic growth with environmental protection. However, there are challenges to overcome. The installed capacity in renewables remains limited compared to growing needs, and the regulatory and institutional ecosystem must be strengthened to allow for rapid scaling up. The necessary investments are substantial and require a clear commitment from the state and private actors to ensure effective and sustainable deployment of infrastructure.
Political Will and Concrete Actions
It is essential to highlight that the political will of our decision-makers is not lacking. Indeed, the Tunisian government has formalized a clear political and regulatory framework in recent years to promote renewable energy. Thanks to Law 2015-12 on the production of electricity from renewable energy (promulgated on May 11, 2015), Tunisia has set an ambitious goal: to have an installed power of nearly 3,815 MW of renewable energy by 2030. Within the framework of this law, decrees (notably Decree No. 2016-1123 of August 24, 2016) have been adopted to define the modalities for implementing projects (production, sale, concessions, authorizations, self-production). This mechanism aims not only to encourage the state but also private actors to invest in solar, wind, solar thermodynamics (CSP), or biomass.
A Vital Strategy for the Future
The state's ambition was recently reaffirmed through the national energy strategy: the objective is now to achieve a share of 35% of electricity produced from renewables by 2030, with a perspective of 50% by 2035. To achieve these objectives, the state has launched regular calls for tenders: in 2023, a call for 1,700 MW of renewable capacity was launched, targeting solar and wind power plants to be built between 2023 and 2025. And in October 2024, a new call targeted 200 MW of photovoltaic solar energy through the authorization regime, with the purchase of production by the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas (STEG) at a guaranteed tariff. These commitments are also translating into concrete projects: according to official data from April 2025, the installed capacity in renewables reached 777 MW (solar, wind, hydroelectricity), showing an increase in power, even if the gap remains significant compared to needs, one of the major challenges remaining the relative weakness of the renewable park compared to national peak demand.
Conclusion
In conclusion, transitioning to renewable energy constitutes a vital strategy for transforming a challenge into an opportunity, strengthening sovereignty, stabilizing the economy, and preparing a sustainable future for future generations. By giving Tunisia the means to produce its own green energy, the country also offers its citizens the possibility of hoping for a safer, more stable, and more environmentally respectful future.
