Summary:

On 29 July 2024, Tunisian officials signed six memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with various international energy firms with a focus on harnessing Tunisia’s potential to produce green hydrogen for export to the European Union (EU). 

The energy firms with which the MOUs were signed included: 

• TuNur in cooperation with Aker Horizons and Verbund 
• Savannah Energy 
• Hydrogen of France 
• DEME Hyport 
• Abo Energy 
• A partnership between Amarenco and H2 Global. 

The MOUs were signed under the supervision of the Minister of Industry, Mines, and Energy, Fatima Thabet Chiboub and the Secretary of State for Energy Transition, Wael Shoshan. 

The most recent MOUs follow a flurry of energy-related deals that have come in 2024, including a joint deal with TotalEnergies and Verbund to explore green hydrogren projects and a separate agreement with ACWA Power to explore similar projects. 

Outlook: 

While the deals signed to allow for the exploration of green hydrogen projects hold significant promise, the projects largely remain in the exploratory phase with significant red tape and negotiation ahead before tangible benefits might be seen in Tunisia. While encouraging, these deals are not the solution to Tunisia’s current economic struggle. 

These long-term projects are strategic for the EU as the continent looks to move efficiently to green energy while also limiting reliance on Russian energy products. Tunisia is well-positioned to benefit from this strategic economic evolution, but only if it can effectively attract investment while ensuring that corruption and bureaucracy do not prevent the country from reaping the potential benefits in the form of job creation, infrastructure, and increased trade. 

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