The Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, Fatma Thabet Chiboub, inaugurated the power plant on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 Metbassta-Sbikha solar, developed by the Emirati investor Amea Power for an amount of 250 million dinars.

Tunisia inaugurates its first solar power plant 100-megawatt photovoltaic power plant in Metbassta-Sbikha in the governorate of Kairouan, the flagship project of a national program aimed at 500 megawatts of energy renewable and marking the effective launch of the concession system in the Tunisian energy sector. The installation, which extends over 200 hectares and includes 221,000 solar panels, will provide electricity to approximately 43 000 Tunisian households and will reduce carbon emissions by 117,000 metric tons annually.

The initiative is part of the first tender for the concession system, awarded in December 2019 and ratified by decree number 19 of December 22, 2021. It will make it possible to reduce natural gas imports of approximately $22 million per year, or 2.3 % of imported quantities, and represents 0.5% of national consumption of primary energy by 2024. STEG will save fuel estimated at $15 million annually. As soon as it went into production, the installation should make it possible to reduce by about 50 million dinars the fuel-dependent electricity generation costs conventional.

The initiative is the first phase of a comprehensive program comprising five projects totaling nearly 500 megawatts spread over five governorates. Funding was provided by international financial institutions under World Bank Group and of the African Bank of development , the latter contributing a lot of 73 million dinars.

The project generates 40 permanent jobs and contributes to regional development. The minister described this project as a first. experience that established the foundations of a successful partnership between various administrations to obtain the necessary authorizations, experience that will serve as a reference for future projects by allowing reduce production times.

The project fits into the Strategic Plan National Energy Management Program 2035, aimed at reducing energy demand by 37% and to reach 50% of electrical production from sources renewables.