Tunisia breaks ground on 10-MW solar park

Construction of Tunisia's first photovoltaic (PV) power station, a 10-MW installation, began on Monday, Tunisian press agency Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) reported.

The solar park is located in the governorate of Tozeur and is due to be connected to the grid in May next year. It is a project of the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG).

STEG's chief executive Moncef Harrabi was cited as saying in a press statement that a second phase of 10 MW is planned and that STEG is looking to implement 300 MW of additional projects.

Minister of Energy, Mines and Renewable Energies Hela Cheikhrouhou said the solar park is an element of the Tunisian Solar Plan, under which the country seeks to get 30% of its electricity from renewables and to have up to 1 GW of solar energy by 2020.

In March, Italy's TerniEnergia SpA (BIT:TER) announced a contract to build the 10-MW solar farm on behalf of STEG.

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