São Paulo — Tunisia is devising in partnership with Germans a national strategy to invest in green hydrogen, perceived as the fuel of the future, which is usually made from renewable energy sources has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Tunisia signed an agreement with German in December 2020 approving the creation of an alliance for green hydrogen.
State news agency TAP reported that the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy is devising a national plan together with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). This strategy is expected to be ready by next year, according to the head of the Energy & Climate Cluster of GIZ Tunisia, Tanja Faller, in an interview with TAP.
Faller indicated that funds have been raised to support Tunisia in the process of developing green hydrogen, including a EUR 6 million-grant for technical assistance from GIZ, in addition to EUR 25 million in financial assistance from the German development bank KFW, mandated by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
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“This is an opportunity for the Tunisian-German partnership because Germany is looking for new partners to be able to implement and support large strategic projects,” Faller said. The head of the cluster called for speeding up the commissioning of renewable energy production sites in Tunisia, to be able to make the most of the existing potential and move on to develop other opportunities.
Under this agreement signed in 2020, Germany granted the country a EUR 31 million donation, to be used to set up a pilot hydrogen production unit, conduct studies, build capacity and set up the institutional and regulatory framework. A study conducted for the German government by the Wuppertal Institute found that Tunisia holds high potential for developing the sector.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
