French independent power producer (IPP) Qair has inked power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Tunisian state utility Société Tunisienne de l’Electricité et du Gaz (STEG) for 298MW of solar PV.
The PPAs encompass the 100MW Gafsa and 198MW El Khobna solar PV power plants located in the country’s geographical centre. The two solar PV plants were successful in a tender for over 500MW of solar capacity at the end of last year.
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It is the latest PPA that Tunisia’s STEG has inked this week. STEG previously signed a similar deal with Norwegian renewable energy developer Scatec for a 120MW solar PV plant, as reported by PV Tech earlier this week.
Qair said its projects are expected to be operational by 2027 and could generate around 1,000GWh of electricity annually. It will support the country in achieving its 30% renewable energy by 2030 target.
Louis Blanchard, president of Qair Group, said Tunisia holds “significant importance” for Qair.
“These projects underscore our Group’s dedication to supporting the energy goals of our partner nations and driving meaningful progress in the global energy transition,” Blanchard added.
Qair has operated in Tunisia since 2015 and is currently building two solar PV power plants with a combined capacity of 20MW. Furthermore, Qair is developing a pipeline of nearly 900MW of renewable energy projects.
Figures from Enerdata suggest that Tunisia will need to invest around US$300 million a year until 2030 to reach a threshold of 500MW of annual renewable energy capacity additions if it is to hit its renewables target.
Elsewhere, Qair has seen a 26MW solar PV project in Castellammare, Sicily, secured in the 16th tender of the FER 1 Decree administered by Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE), the national energy agency. This came off the back of the company commissioning its first fully developed solar PV plant in Italy, with a capacity of 8.7MW.
