A three-hour drive south from Tunisia, the capital of Tunisia, is the historic city of Kairouan in Tunisia, 155 kilometres away. It is currently the country's fourth-largest city, and historically, Kairouan was the capital of the Egleb dynasty and was once the political, religious, commercial and cultural center of Arab Africa. Tunisians proudly say that Kairouan is the fourth holiest place for Muslims after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. With its sunny and pleasant climate, it was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1988. And now, in this sunny and pleasant ancient city, Chinese companies are building the first photovoltaic power station in Tunisia. The integration of Kairouan's abundant solar energy resources and China's green energy technology not only adds a modern low-carbon and green development atmosphere to the ancient city, but also makes this historic land bloom with new brilliance in the new era.

At the construction site of the photovoltaic power station built by China Energy, there are rows of piles standing straight, like the backbone of the seat erected on the earth. They are undulating along the terrain, evenly distributed and arranged in an orderly manner, like a team waiting to be marched. Each pile is deeply rooted in the earth, sturdy and solid, and is solidly prepared for the PV panels to be installed. These brackets, which have not yet been "armoured", stand quietly in the sun, indicating that the wings of clean energy are about to slowly open. The project is designed, procurement, constructed, commissioned, operated and maintained by a consortium consisting of China Energy Construction Group Tianjin Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd. and China Electric Power Engineering Consulting Group Northwest Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. Covering an area of about 200 hectares, the project is the first large-scale ground-mounted photovoltaic power station in Tunisia and the largest single photovoltaic power station under construction in Tunisia. After completion, the project will run for 25 years, generate about 5.5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 5 million tons, and be equivalent to planting 12 million trees in the Sahara Desert.

Xu Zhiyong, deputy general manager of TEPCO Overseas Engineering and head of the Kairouan PV project, said that the Tunisian government plans to increase the share of renewable energy to 30% by 2030, and China's technological advantages and cost competitiveness have become key factors in its entry into the country's market. The project will start on May 25, 2024 and is expected to be completed on October 7 this year.

"This project is the first million-level photovoltaic project in Tunisia, which will provide sufficient clean and green renewable energy for Tunisia's local industrial and agricultural production and people's daily electricity, help Tunisia's energy structure adjustment and industrial transformation and upgrading, and bring positive benefits to local socio-economic and environmental development." "Renewable energy currently accounts for only 5% of Tunisia's electricity supply, and the Kairouan project will increase the country's installed PV capacity by about 30%, directly promoting Tunisia's goal of 30% renewable energy by 2030," Xu said. At the same time, it will reduce dependence on imported natural gas and enhance energy independence and security. ”

Tunisian Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah stressed that the Tunisian government is promoting green energy development through energy exchanges and the construction of regional power grids, and the Kairouan project, as the largest single photovoltaic power plant under construction in Tunisia to date, is highly compatible with this strategy. Tunisian energy officials noted that the project's high-efficiency modules and smart O&M systems provide a technical reference for the country's future PV projects, and look forward to further scaling up renewable energy installations through similar collaborations.

The project has created nearly 600 jobs in Tunisia. Husseim, the project's safety inspector, said: "I am impressed by the importance that China Energy Construction attaches to safety standards. They introduced smart worksites and required all employees to attend weekly safety training. I originally had only experience in construction site safety management, but now I have mastered the risk management methods unique to PV projects, such as DC arc fault prevention and module handling specifications in high-temperature environments. Since the start of the project, there have been zero major accidents for 12 consecutive months, which is unprecedented in my career. ”

In the thousand-year-old city of Kairouan, sunshine not only gives birth to a splendid civilization, but also ignites a green future. Chinese companies have sown the seeds of clean energy in this land where history and faith meet, not only helping Tunisia move towards the goal of energy diversification and sustainable development, but also giving a new connotation to this famous cultural city. In the future, with the full operation of the photovoltaic power plant, Kairouan will not only be remembered for its glorious past, but also under the sun, in the name of green energy, to a better future.(This article is from the official website of Seetao www.seetao.com. Reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited. Please indicate Seetao.com + original link when reprinting) Seetao.com Strategy Column Editor/Sun Fengjuan