TunNur wants to make Tunisia major concentrated solar power exporter

Officials of TuNur, joint South-North venture, in equal partnership between a UK company specializing in solar energy "Nur Energy LTD" and a group of entrepreneurs led by Tunisians Top Oilfield Services Group and Glory Clean energy, spoke, Thursday, of a major project of concentrating solar power (2GW) export, the Tunisian Sahara, which will allow Tunisia to be the largest exporter of solar power in the world by 2016.

Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Riadh Bettaieb told TAP on the sidelines of the Istanbul Forum that the government hopes that this partnership will not only help create jobs for thousands of unemployed Tunisians, especially among university graduates (about 220 thousands) but also to ensure the desired technology transfer consistent with the objectives assigned to public and private sectors.

He added that the government had started three weeks ago preparing the regulatory framework for this partnership, based on the BOP (Build, Operate and Transfer) principle, adding that the regulatory framework will be ready by early July 2012 and will be submitted to the Constituent Assembly for adoption.

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