ACWA Power and Tunisian Government Sign MoU for Significant Green Hydrogen Initiative

ACWA Power, the world’s largest private water desalination company and a leader in energy transition and green hydrogen, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Tunisian Government. The MoU, represented by the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy, aims to explore the potential for a project to produce up to 600,000 tonnes per year of green hydrogen in three phases, primarily for export to Europe.

The agreement was signed by Fatma Thabet Chiboub, Tunisia’s Minister of Industry, Mines, and Energy, and Marco Arcelli, Chief Executive Officer of ACWA Power.

Under the MoU, ACWA Power will develop, operate, and maintain 12GW of renewable energy electricity generation units, including storage systems and transmission lines, along with water desalination plants, electrolyzers, and infrastructures connecting to the main pipeline. The first phase will involve installing 4GW of renewable energy units, 2GW of electrolyzer capacity, and battery storage facilities to produce 200,000 tonnes per year of green hydrogen. This green hydrogen will be exported through the South2 Corridor, a hydrogen pipeline initiative led by European TSOs and identified as a Project of Common Interest by the EU, connecting Tunisia to Italy, Austria, and Germany.

Ouael Chouchene, Secretary of State for Energy Transition, commented: “This project aligns perfectly with the Tunisian Government’s national green hydrogen strategy released in October 2023, which targets an annual production of 8.3 million tonnes of green hydrogen and byproducts by 2050. We are confident that this agreement with ACWA Power will leverage Tunisia’s strengths, including its strategic geographic location, existing infrastructure, and skilled workforce, to create a more sustainable future for the country.”

The project is intended to support Tunisia’s National Strategy for the Development of Green Hydrogen and its Derivatives, launched in October 2023. The strategy includes an action plan for exporting more than 6 million tonnes of green hydrogen to Europe by 2050.