AMEA Power, the brand in charge of the project, will receive 1 billion dollars for its execution.

Tunisia awards contract to Emirati company to build solar plant in the country

Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates appear to be making further progress in their diplomatic relations, as demonstrated by several economic agreements. The Tunisian government has just awarded a contract to build a solar plant in the country, in the Cairouan area, south of the capital. AMEA Power will be the company in charge of the project, for which it has received a contract for both the transfer and purchase of energy worth 360 million Emirati dirhams. The plant, when built and ready for operation, is expected to be capable of producing around 100 MW per day. 

The news was celebrated at a ceremony, held at the government headquarters in Al Qasba. It was attended by Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden Romdhane, who was accompanied by Nela Nouria Gneji, the Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy. AMEA Power Chairman Hussain al-Nowais travelled to Tunis, accompanied by his executive team, where they signed the contracts to start the project. 

"This is a major milestone for both Tunisia and AMEA Power," said Hussain al-Nowais. "AMEA Power is proud to support Tunisia in achieving this great vision and helping to reduce the country's carbon footprint. AMEA Power continues to grow, and today we are proud to be present in 15 countries, with a total capacity of around 2,000 MW of renewable energy projects in operation, under construction and under development," continued Al-Nowais. 

This new solar plant is a project that is part of Tunisia's goals to increase the proportion of its renewable energy use. The nation is on a mission to achieve a 30 percent mix of clean energy and non-renewable energy by 2030. To meet this target, the country needs to install more plants to provide approximately 4 GW more.  

Work on their installation and construction will begin soon, with construction and operation expected to start by the end of 2022. According to the company's experts, it is expected to produce almost 223,171 MWh of energy per year. Moreover, it is part of a green project that will be able to save more than 113,525 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, which is good news for the country's energy transition towards greener, cleaner and safer energy.  

In 2019, the Tunisian government already started to design the new solar plant. In December of that year, it awarded a consortium to AMEA Power and TBEA Xinjiang New Energy Co, a Chinese company, after winning the tender for the idea. In addition to this, other solar-based projects, published through a programme launched by the Tunisian Ministry of Industry and SMEs, are beginning to take shape.  

When the plant starts operating, the energy produced will be sold following a power purchase agreement signed with the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG) for more than 20 years.  

AMEA Power is a company based in the Emirati city of Dubai. It has several projects spread across the African continent, as well as operating in the Middle East and parts of Asia. "AMEA Power is focused on providing thermal and renewable energy services to emerging markets in the African, Middle East and Asian regions," it says on its website. 

The company specialises in the construction of solar, wind, gas and hydropower facilities. Two of its major projects are in Jordan. They are a wind farm near the city of Talifah and a solar power plant located in Ma'an. Both have a capacity of more than 50 MW. It also has another solar plant in Togo, which produces the same energy as the other two large projects.  

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