The Tunisian government is planning 1,700MW of new renewable energy projects that should be implemented between 2023 and 2025, Tunisian Energy Minister Naila Nouira said on Tuesday.

In a televised address, the minister said that the development of green power projects will require an investment of about 5 billion Tunisian dinars (about 1.59 billion US dollars / 1.5 billion euros).

The new projects were made available to investors in the last week of December.

Nouira explained that Tunisia has three renewable energy schemes – a concession scheme for projects above 100MW, a support scheme for projects between 1MW and 10MW, and a scheme for self-generation by industry companies or citizens.

Tunisia is making progress when it comes to expanding solar. The country has the MENA region's first floating photovoltaic power plant, which was connected to the grid near the capital Tunisia in June and is expected to generate 265MWh of electricity annually.

Another 100MW large-scale solar power plant is planned to achieve commercial operation in the first half of 2024. The plant will be built by Dubai-based AMEA Power in the northern province of Kairouan, with construction due to begin in the first half of 2023.

The minister further emphasized Tunisia's ambition to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia. Tunisia has developed a comprehensive strategy in this area, and the first green hydrogen project was launched last summer.