Tunisia reiterates its objective to produce 35% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and aims to give a larger role to wind energy. A delegation representing 11 Tunisian institutions recently traveled to WindEnergy Hamburg to study financing, storage and grid integration models.
The main issues
• National objective: 35% renewable electricity by 2030.
• Tunisian delegation: 11 institutions at WindEnergy Hamburg.
• Planned expansion of Sidi Daoud: about 30 MW.
• Nearly 300 MW of new renewable capacities are expected to be connected to the grid by summer 2027.
• The challenge is not only to build parks: the grid, storage, and land procedures also need to be strengthened.
Why Wind Energy Is Becoming Strategic Again
Photovoltaic solar power has attracted much of the recent investment, but wind energy offers a complementary role: its production can occur at different times than solar and help diversify the electricity mix.
In a strategy where Tunisia aims to reduce its dependence on imported natural gas, this complementarity becomes important for supply security.
Land, Permitting, and Grid: The Three Main Obstacles
The discussions organized at WindEnergy Hamburg highlighted several prerequisites for developing new parks: land availability, simplification of permitting, consideration of land use and heritage protection.
The electricity grid represents another critical point. Additional wind capacity can only be harnessed if the grid can absorb the injections and manage their variability.
Storage Becomes Part of the Solution
The Tunisian delegation visited, in particular, a wind farm at Reußenköge coupled with storage systems. The project operates with local residents’ financial participation, who co-finance the installations and share a portion of the revenues.
This type of model interests Tunisia for both grid management and local project acceptability.
Projects Already Planned
The government’s energy plan foresees nearly 300 MW of new renewable capacity to be connected to the grid by summer 2027, in addition to about 40 MW under a new round of authorizations.
Among the cited projects are the extension of the Sidi Daoud wind farm by around 30 MW, as well as several photovoltaic plants equipped with storage capacities.
The Economic Challenge: Reducing the Gas Bill
Tunisia’s electricity production remains heavily dependent on natural gas. Every megawatt-hour produced from wind or solar potentially reduces the need for fuel, subject to grid availability and flexibility needs.
Thus, the impact on the energy bill will depend not only on installed capacity but also on the actual pace of commissioning, the load factor of the installations, and the cost of storage.
The Private Sector Called to Accelerate Investments
The mission in Hamburg is part of the APST II project, dedicated to accelerating private investments in renewable energy in Tunisia, implemented with GIZ as part of the Tunisian-German cooperation.
The goal is to translate capacity ambitions into fundable projects, with clearer procedures and better coordination among public actors, grid operators and investors.
Sources: TAP, GIZ Tunisia, Presidency of the Government. Data verified as of November 7, 2026.
