By: Ecofin agency

Algeria and Tunisia have held new talks on several electricity cooperation projects, including continued Algerian power exports to Tunisia during peak summer demand and a proposed 1,400-megawatt gas-fired power plant in Tunisia.

Algerian Energy and Renewable Energies Minister Mourad Adjal met a delegation from Tunisia’s state electricity and gas utility STEG in Algiers on Sunday, according to a statement from Algeria’s Energy Ministry. The delegation was led by STEG Chief Executive Fayçal Trifa.

The discussions focused on maintaining Algerian electricity exports to Tunisia during the summer of 2026, developing the planned combined-cycle power plant, and advancing a power interconnection project linking Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

Algeria will continue supplying electricity to Tunisia despite pressure on its domestic grid during periods of peak summer demand, the ministry said. Adjal also instructed officials at state-owned utility Sonelgaz to work more closely with STEG and support the company’s energy requirements.

No details were disclosed regarding the financing, implementation schedule or operational framework of the proposed power plant.

“Algeria, through Sonelgaz, is committed to meeting its commitments to Tunisia, given the strategic importance of this period,” Adjal said, according to the ministry statement.

Tunisia imported 64.3% of its natural gas supply in 2023, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Natural gas accounted for nearly 95% of the country’s electricity generation that year.

The IEA also said Tunisia imported more than 13% of its electricity consumption in 2023, mainly from Algeria, highlighting the importance of energy cooperation between the two neighboring countries.

Algeria has expanded its energy partnerships across Africa since the start of the year. Sonelgaz has launched construction work on a power plant in Niger, signed an agreement for a similar project in Chad, and recently strengthened cooperation with Mozambique.