Rédaction Africa Links 24 with satarbf
Published on 2024-04-11 17:13:16
The French energy leader, which sees some of its Moroccan projects at a standstill, has chosen Tunisia for the first establishment outside of Europe of its subsidiary specializing in solar energy. This is despite delays also accumulated by Tunisia in this sector.
EDF ENR targets the professional market. The subsidiary of the French electricity supplier dedicated to solar energy, established in Tunisia for less than two months, targets the local branches of large foreign export industries in textiles and automotive industries, as well as companies of major Tunisian groups such as Poulina, Utic, Mabrouk, or Elloumi.
Established in 2008, EDF ENR offers support ranging from design to maintenance of solar solutions (photovoltaic panels, storage batteries, etc.) so that customers can produce their own electricity.
With this establishment, the parent company EDF seeks to test the viability of an expanding but still nascent international market. “Cultural and linguistic proximity, as well as the presence of Tunisian collaborators who are familiar with the regulatory framework, weighed in the decision to establish in Tunisia for our first subsidiary creation outside of Europe [EDF ENR has been present in Germany since 2021],” said Paul Cholat, EDF ENR’s international business development manager, to Jeune Afrique.
Tunisia produces less than 3% of renewable energies
By 2030, Tunisia aims to have 35% of its electricity production coming from renewable energies, with solar leading the way. Today, the rate does not exceed 3%. By the end of 2021, the government had announced a relaxation of regulations on electricity self-production.
However, the implementing decrees regarding the electricity transport price and its purchase by the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG) were only issued in December 2023.
“The results are far from ambitions,” continues Paul Cholat, “but these recent implementing decrees indicate that we are entering at the right time and there is a clear framework, which is reassuring.” A legislation that stays ahead in the region: EDF ENR, led by Benjamin Declas, will open a subsidiary in Morocco sometime this year, once all the regulations are updated and promulgated there as well.
The presence of Ouael Chouchane, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy, at the inauguration of EDF ENR’s subsidiary on February 28, shows that the sector is an economic and political challenge.
Tunisia’s energy independence rate dropped to 42% in January 2024, according to a study by the National Energy and Mines Observatory. Energy imports have increased from 5% of consumption to 50% between 2010 and 2022, according to data from the Tunisian government and STEG cited by the World Bank.
EDF at a standstill in Morocco
Like many countries in the region, one of the sunniest in the world, Tunisia has embarked on the construction of solar plants. However, like in neighboring countries, there have been numerous delays.
The Tataouine solar plant, with a capacity of 10 megawatts, built in 2019, only became operational in October 2022. In Morocco, the Noor Midelt solar plant, which is expected to reach a capacity of 800 megawatts peak (MWp), described as the “largest multi-technological complex in the world” by Masen, the Moroccan agency for sustainable energy, is delayed by four years from the start of construction.
After winning the 2019 tender for the first phase of the mega-project, EDF – through its subsidiary EDF Renouvelable – is once again part of the consortium responsible for designing, building, and operating the second phase.
Aware of technical and financial issues, both states and private actors have partially revised their strategies. Now the focus is on self-production and decentralization.
EDF ENR operates within this framework, generating 256 million euros in revenue from photovoltaic activities in 2023. Tunisian banks are also interested in offering affordable financing, alongside the French company, to the numerous potential customers.
Industrials represent 60% of the demand for electricity in high and medium voltage. “The demand is there, but the sector is very competitive,” warns Chekib Ben Mustapha, a member of the executive board of Conect, the employers’ association of Tunisian SMEs.
Read the original article(French) on Tunisie Focus
