Tunisia to build 120 MW wind farm

Spanish wind turbine generator manufacturer Gamesa would supply 91 wind turbine generators, worth some €200-million, to Tunisia’s Société Tunisienne de L'Electricité et du Gaz (Steg), for what would become the North African country’s largest wind power facility.

With a total power of 120 MW, the turbines would be supplied to the Metline and Kchabta wind farms, both of which are located in the Bizerte region.

The agreement included the turnkey supply of the wind turbines, as well as their operation and maintenance, along with a substation and power line for each of the wind farms. 

From an environmental viewpoint, the wind turbine generators for the wind farms would contribute towards generating environmentally sound electricity - avoiding the emission of pollutants to the atmosphere. It was estimated that the yearly production of these installations’ 120 MW would replace 35 691 t of petroleum equivalent generated power a year and avoid the emission of 311 261 t of carbon dioxide a year.

The project, which could count on financing from the Spanish Development Aid Fund, would also have a significant local component. Part of the ancillary equipment would be built in Tunisia and the wind farms’ civil and electrical works will be subcontracted in the country. It was expected that 120 new direct local jobs were to be created during the first two years of the project.