Helpdesk

Context:

In 2015, Tunisia established a regulatory and institutional framework aimed at promoting increased investment in renewable electricity in the form of self-generation projects and independent production facilities. The State launched the Tunisian Solar Plan (Plan Solaire Tunisien – PST) in order to implement policy in this area. The PST aims to increase the renewable energy share of power generation from 3% in 2017 to 30% in 2030, with an anticipated renewable generating capacity of around 3,500 Megawatts (MW). In this context, in December 2016, the Tunisian authorities published the 2017-2020 programme aimed at providing an additional capacity of 1,800 MW, of which 1,000 MW would be under the franchise regime, 210 MW under the authorization regime and 210 MW through the self-generation framework, the remainder being supplied by STEG. In 2018, the allocations under the first two regimes were already the subject of calls for tenders.

On 7 and 8 December 2017, the Energy Ministry (Ministère de l’Énergie) and the National Agency for Energy Conservation (Agence Nationale pour la Maîtrise de l’Énergie – ANME), with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), organized a national conference. The participants agreed to institute an action plan to accelerate implementation of the PST.  This plan included 21 actions, among which was the creation of a Help Desk at ANME level. The main role of the Help Desk is in promoting the PST and supporting stakeholders to facilitate investment in the Plan.

Mission :

The ANME Help Desk is mainly used to:

• Promote and communicate in relation to the renewable energy programme and organize those involved to accelerate implementation of the PST;
• Inform those involved in the implementation of the PST of the regulations, procedures and processes related to the implementation of renewable energy production projects;
• Support local investors in the development of their projects and more particularly in the financial packaging of their investments.
• Sustain project leaders by providing them with the support and advice necessary to overcome the administrative difficulties they may encounter when setting up their projects and through capacity building;
• Monitor, evaluate and ensure regular reporting on the progress of the programme and its socio-economic, environmental and energy impacts with a view to proposing the necessary improvements for the rapid and efficient functioning of the PST.

Target Audience :

Help desk services are accessible to all those involved in the PST, including private investors through the self-generation and authorization regimes, the financial sector, local communities, administrations and public enterprises.

Partnerships:

The Help Desk relies on cooperation agreements with major organizations and institutional partners to provide information on all elements contributing to facilitating and accelerating investment in renewable energy.

Human Resources :

The Help Desk provides all those involved in the PST with a range of qualified experts. The latter provide specialized assistance in the field of renewable energy, the law, administration and finance to provide support in the development and implementation of PST projects.