In 2024, Tunisia’s electricity consumption was supplied overwhelmingly by fossil fuels, which accounted for about 86% of the total, with gas alone providing nearly 85%. Net imports supplied another 11%, while domestic low-carbon sources contributed only about 4%. Solar provided roughly 2% and wind about 1%. This leaves Tunisia heavily dependent on fossil electricity, with substantial scope to expand clean generation and reduce the climate and air-pollution impacts of fossil fuel use.

Is Electricity Growing in Tunisia?

Tunisia’s latest figures do not show sustained growth in electricity consumption per person. Consumption reached about 1,900 kWh per person in 2024, around 80 kWh, or 4%, below the record set in 2022. Low-carbon electricity generation was also slightly below its peak: 68 kWh per person, compared with 69 kWh in 2023. These figures indicate disappointing stagnation in clean electricity per person, although they do not establish whether nationwide electricity consumption grew, since population changes also matter. Expanding clean electricity supply would help meet future demand from electrification and digital infrastructure.

Suggestions

Tunisia can accelerate low-carbon electricity generation by expanding solar and wind while considering a nuclear programme for dependable clean supply. Relevant regional examples include Cyprus and Spain, where solar supplies about a quarter of electricity, and nearby Morocco, where wind supplies a fifth. Tunisia could learn from their deployment experience while strengthening its electricity grid and developing storage and flexible demand. For nuclear electricity, the United Arab Emirates provides a regional example with a share of about 20%, while France demonstrates the potential for nuclear to supply around two-thirds of electricity. These examples support pursuing rapid solar development alongside wind expansion and evaluating nuclear through long-term planning, workforce training and regulatory preparation.

History

Tunisia’s low-carbon electricity history shows modest, intermittent gains rather than sustained expansion. Hydropower increased by about 0.1 TWh in each of 1985, 1987, 1991 and 2003, before declining by the same amount in 2006. Wind began making gains in 2009, adding 0.1 TWh, followed by increases totalling 0.4 TWh between 2012 and 2014; hydropower also added 0.1 TWh in 2012. Wind then fell by 0.1 TWh in both 2015 and 2022, while the listed hydro and wind changes in 2019 were zero. More recently, solar has provided encouraging momentum, adding 0.1 TWh in both 2021 and 2022 and another 0.2 TWh in 2023. Sustaining and accelerating that growth is essential to move beyond Tunisia’s still-small clean electricity share.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade