TUNIS - The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises, the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea and the National Energy Control Agency (ANME) signed, on Tuesday in Tunis, a memorandum of understanding for conducting two studies of feasibility worth 150,000 euros, for carrying out electrical inter-connection between Tunisia and Italy.
By virtue of this agreement, signed on the occasion of the information day organised by the Mediterranean Renewable Energies Centre (MEDREC) on "electrical inter-connection project between Tunisia and Italy and development of renewable energies," the signatory sides will guarantee achievement of these studies in close collaboration with MEDREC.
The first study will provide for the assessment of the maximum capacity of electricity generation from a potential of renewable energy in Tunisia.
The second will be devoted to the analysis of the regulatory and institutional framework for the implementation of Article 9 of the European parliament's directive on the development of use of renewable energy sources.
Signees of the agreement are to form, to this end, a working team made up of representatives of Tunisian and Italian institutions involved in electrical inter- connection projects between the two countries.
Secretary of State in charge of renewable energy and food industries Abdelaziz Rassaa underlined, during this day, that the inter-connection project of the electrical network in the two countries will spare no effort to boost energy exchanges between Tunisia and Italy and contribute to the integration of Maghreb electrical market into the European electrical market.
This project called "ELMED," he reminded, includes an under-water cable link with a capacity of 1,200 MW meant to ensure economic viability of the project.
The electrical inter-connection between Tunisia and Italy will allow, Mr. Rassa said, to improve reliability of the regional electrical system and contribute to the creation of a regional electrical market and a green energy market.
In this connection, the Secretary of State placed emphasis on the energy policy adopted by Tunisia and on the Tunisian Solar Plan (PST), a plan which integrates all fields of energy efficiency and renewable energies, according to the approach adopted by the Mediterranean Solar Energy (PSM).
This PST, at a cost estimated at 2 billion euros, covers the 2010-2016 period and includes some forty projects, including 17 solar energy projects for the water heating and electrical production, 3 wind projects, 7 energy-efficiency projects, including notably co-generation projects, 7 other projects essentially of valorisation of biomass and 6 studies for implementing PST.
The Italian officials attending this event were unanimous in underlining that electrical inter-connection between Tunisia and Italy is a strategic project which will undoubtedly contribute to rapprochement of the two shores of the Mediterranean and open up new horizons for relations binding the Maghreb and Europe.
This inter-connection, acknowledged as a project of Mediterranean interest, will be of a valuable contribution to the achievement of regional integration and creation of a renewable energy market, they said.
© Agence Tunis Afrique Presse 2009
