Saudi's ACWA Power Explores Green Hydrogen Export Project with Tunisia

Saudi Arabian energy company ACWA Power has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Tunisian government to explore the potential for a substantial project aimed at exporting green hydrogen to Europe, as per an official announcement. The proposed three-phase initiative entails the development and operation of 12 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy generation, inclusive of storage systems, transmission lines, water desalination plants, electrolysers, and associated infrastructures to facilitate connectivity with the primary pipeline. In its initial stage, the project will encompass 2 GW of electrolyser capacity and 4 GW of renewable energy units, with a projected annual output of 200,000 tonnes of green hydrogen destined for export through the South2 Corridor hydrogen pipeline project. This pipeline aims to establish connectivity between Tunisia and European destinations such as Italy, Austria, and Germany. "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 tons of green hydrogen and byproducts by 2050," remarked Ouael Chouchene, Secretary of State for Energy Transition. The MoU, signed by Tunisia’s Minister of Industry, Mines, and Energy, Fatma Thabet Chiboub, and ACWA Power's Chief Executive Marco Arcelli, underscores ACWA Power's strategic objective to expand its green hydrogen portfolio. The company is concurrently involved in the Neom Green Hydrogen Project, a joint venture with Air Products and Neom, and is progressing on a second green hydrogen endeavor in Uzbekistan. Tunisia's recent agreements also include a similar arrangement with a consortium comprising TotalEnergies, EREN Groupe, and Austria's Verbund.