Tunisia kickstarts stalled renewables sector

New government appears committed to clearing the legal, financial and practical obstacles facing prospective foreign developers

Tunisian president Kais Saied’s controversial replacement of the elected government in November appears to have unblocked the country’s slow-moving renewables build-out. Decrees last month removed the final legal hurdle for the belated execution of five utility-scale solar projects awarded to developers over two years ago, promising to more than double the country’s carbon-free generation capacity. Potentially more important are statements from newly installed officials signalling a willingness to address the legal and institutional blockages hampering clean energy targets. Tunisia has a goal for renewables to account for nearly a third of electricity production by the end of the decade. The