Electricity in Tunisia in 2024
In 2024, Tunisia's electricity consumption remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels, with over 85% coming from these sources, predominantly gas at nearly 85%. Meanwhile, low-carbon electricity accounts for close to none, slightly above 3%. Solar energy contributes a little over 2% and wind energy adds about 1.4% to the mix. Additionally, net imports make up slightly more than a tenth of Tunisia's electricity supply. This significant dependence on fossil energy represents a challenge for Tunisia, which needs to transition towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly energy sources to address climate change and improve air quality.
Is Electricity Growing in Tunisia?
In terms of electricity consumption growth, Tunisia has experienced a slight decline. The total electricity consumption per person in 2024 stands at 1899 kWh, which is a decrease of 79 kWh from the previous record high in 2022 of 1979 kWh per person. This decline not only highlights a need for expanded electricity generation to support future demand but also calls for enhanced efforts in the clean energy sector. The low-carbon electricity generation also saw a minor reduction, moving from a high of 69 kWh per person in 2023 to 68 kWh per person in 2024. These trends suggest Tunisia must actively work to reverse this stagnation by focusing on expanding clean energy to not only meet current needs but to anticipate future growth.
Suggestions
To boost low-carbon electricity generation, Tunisia can look to successful regions that have excelled in solar and wind, as well as nuclear energy. For solar energy, Tunisia might take inspiration from countries such as Lebanon and Cyprus where solar accounts for significant portions of electricity generation at 31% and 21% respectively. In wind energy, Uruguay serves as a notable benchmark with 34% of its electricity generated from wind. For nuclear, emulating the strides made by countries like France, which generates 69% of its electricity from nuclear power, could offer Tunisia a sustainable path to increasing its low-carbon footprint. Emphasizing these three areas can lead Tunisia towards a more balanced and environmentally sustainable energy grid.
History
The historical trajectory of low-carbon electricity in Tunisia has seen modest advancements with periods of both growth and stagnation. In the early 1980s, Tunisia began to incorporate hydroelectric power modestly by increasing its capacity occasionally in 1985, 1987, and 1991. After a quiet period, hydro again saw a small uptick in 2003. The years leading up to 2015 showed a promising rise in wind energy with noticeable contributions in 2009, 2012, and 2013, before a slight setback in 2015. Solar power entered the scene in 2019 but also faced minor setbacks, eventually seeing growth through 2023. While these efforts collectively provided some progress, the pace has been slow, indicating a need for Tunisia to significantly escalate its commitments and investments in clean energy such as solar, wind, and nuclear to forge a sustainable energy future.
Electrification
We estimate the degree of electrification by comparing electricity and total energy emissions. More about methodology.