Tunis: Tunisia needs TND 600 million to invest in energy transition projects in municipalities, according to the results of the Alliance of Local Councils for Energy Conservation programme, said National Agency for Energy Conservation (ANME) Director General Fathi Hanchi.
In a statement to the press on the fringes of the national conference on the role of local authorities in the implementation of the national energy transition strategy, held on Wednesday on the theme: Evaluation of the results of the national and comprehensive energy audit for the 350 Tunisian municipalities, he indicated that the audit operation is the first of its kind in the world.
It was conducted in cooperation with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.
The audit operation was conducted on the vehicle fleet, buildings and the public lighting network.
The adoption of energy-saving mechanisms will help save TND 150 million in a country that spends some TND 4 billion on energy subsidies every year.
The official pointed out
that the disclosure of the results of the energy audit operation during this conference aims to involve national structures as well as to inform financiers about the results and the possibility of investing in this sector.
The Alliance of Local Councils for Energy Conservation programme is based, among other things, on an inventory of municipal properties, as well as on land redevelopment, the transport fleet and public lighting, he pointed out.
Hanchi noted that a project is currently being negotiated with Italy to cover municipal buildings with solar panels, which will require funding of around 30 million dinars.
The national conference was organised by ANME, in partnership with the General Authority for Prospecting and Supporting Decentralisation and several other structures, with the support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Tunisian officials and representatives of the Switzerland’s economic development cooperation.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse