The construction boom of photovoltaics and energy storage in North Africa is continuing to heat up. In October 2026, the Tunisian national power and gas company STEG launched two tenders for photovoltaic and battery energy storage, covering a total scale of 350MW photovoltaic and 620MWh energy storage, becoming the largest batch of photovoltaic storage infrastructure procurement projects in the country in recent years, directly promoting the acceleration of the local renewable energy transformation process.

The 50MW solar storage project is open for global bidding

The first project is located in the Benimira area of Taitawen Province, constructing a 50MW AC photovoltaic power station, supporting a 10MW/20MWh battery energy storage system, and simultaneously building a 33/225kV substation and a 1.2-kilometer 225kV national grid connected transmission line. The project is supported by funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, with a contract scope covering design, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning, as well as personnel training and maintenance services during the warranty period. The overall planned construction period is 18 months.

The bidding requirement is that the bidding party must be an EPC contractor holding ISO-9001 certification and possessing sufficient technical and financial qualifications. STEG officially released the bidding announcement on October 12, 2026, and the bidding deadline is December 10, 2026. All project details can be found on the official website of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This is also the first benchmark project for integrated photovoltaics and energy storage in Tunisia to be fully supported by multilateral financial institutions this year, which will establish standardized reference samples for the construction of similar projects in the future.

300MW distributed energy storage covers three major regions in China

The second tender is for a nationwide independent battery energy storage deployment project, with a total scale of 300MW/600MWh, distributed in 10 medium voltage substation sites in the northern, central, and southern parts of Tunisia. All systems must comply with international standards related to performance safety and network security. The project is divided into three sections, with four stations in the northern region totaling 105MW/210MWh, three stations in the central region totaling 90MW/180MWh, and three stations in the southern region totaling 105MW/210MWh.

STEG officially released the energy storage tender at the end of September 2026, with a bidding deadline of October 29, 2026. The bidding party is responsible for the system design, supply, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of the entire chain. Combined with the 300MW photovoltaic plus 150MW/540MWh energy storage project launched in March 2026, as well as the 500MW utility scale photovoltaic project approved in July 2026, Tunisia is steadily advancing its phased goal of increasing the proportion of solar power generation to 14% by 2027 and approaching the final plan of 30% renewable energy by 2030. Keywords: solar energy storage project, new energy project

From the southern desert to the northern coastal substations, a batch of energy storage power stations are about to land one after another, and the power grid regulation capacity in North Africa will undergo a comprehensive upgrade.Editor/Cheng Liting