National Council of Regions and Districts Approves Five Laws for Photovoltaic Power Plants
The National Council of Regions and Districts (CNRD) approved, in a plenary session on Wednesday, five draft laws related to the approval of concession agreements for electricity production from photovoltaic power plants.
Draft Law No. 01 of 2026: El Khobna Photovoltaic Power Plant
The draft law No. 01 of 2026, which approves the concession agreement for electricity production and the lease contract for the site and its annexes for the El Khobna photovoltaic power plant, was adopted by 60 votes in favor, 3 against, and no abstentions.
Draft Law No. 02 of 2026: Mezzouna Photovoltaic Power Plant
The draft law No. 02 of 2026, which relates to the approval of the concession agreement for electricity production and its annexes for the Mezzouna photovoltaic power plant in the governorate of Sidi Bouzid, was approved by 55 deputies, rejected by 4 others, and with one abstention.
Draft Law No. 03 of 2026: Ksar Photovoltaic Power Plant
59 deputies voted in favor of the draft law No. 03 of 2026, which concerns the approval of the concession agreement for electricity production and its annexes for the Ksar photovoltaic power plant, against 4 opposing votes and one abstention.
Draft Law No. 04 of 2026: Segdoud Photovoltaic Power Plant
The draft law No. 04 of 2026, which approves the concession agreement for electricity production and the lease contract for the site and its annexes for the Segdoud photovoltaic power plant, was adopted by 57 votes in favor, while 4 deputies voted against and 3 abstained.
Draft Law No. 05 of 2026: Menzel Habib Photovoltaic Power Plant
The draft law No. 05 of 2026, which relates to the approval of the concession agreement for electricity production and its annexes for the Menzel Habib photovoltaic power plant, was adopted by 57 votes in favor, against 3 opposing votes and 3 abstentions.
Overview of the Five Draft Laws
These five draft laws concern the approval of concession agreements for electricity production and their annexes for photovoltaic power plants located in Khobna and Mezzouna in the governorate of Sidi Bouzid, Ksar and Segdoud in the governorate of Gafsa, and Menzel Habib in the governorate of Gabès. The total capacity of these power plants is approximately 598 megawatts, with an estimated investment cost of around 1.64 billion dinars.
Goals of the Projects
Through these projects, the state aims to strengthen national energy security and reduce the cost of electricity production. The selling prices of electricity are expected to range from 98.8 to 124.4 millimes per kilowatt-hour, compared to an estimated cost of around 300 millimes for production based on imported natural gas, according to data presented during the session.
Expected Benefits
According to the documents related to these projects, the entire energy produced will be sold exclusively to the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG), with expected savings of around 246 million dinars in foreign currency on production costs, as well as a reduction in natural gas imports estimated at 13.3% compared to the total imports of 2024.
Technical Indicators
The Ksar power plant is expected to produce around 260 gigawatt-hours per year, resulting in an estimated annual savings of 52 million dinars in foreign currency.
The Segdoud and Menzel Habib power plants are expected to produce around 280 gigawatt-hours per year each, with an equivalent reduction in energy imports of 56,000 tons of oil equivalent per year for each of them.
