Energy Transition and Revolution in Tunisia: Politics and Spatiality

Abstract

Energy transition in Arab countries is usually addressed as an economic and tech- nological issue. This analysis of Tunisian policies on renewable energy argues that it must be understood from a political and geographical perspective. Energy policy in Tunisia is dominated by STEG, the national utility for electricity and gas, which has held a monopoly since independence and enjoys strong historical legitimacy for its achievements. Beginning the 2000s, however, national energy self-sufficiency was challenged and the government pushed for renewable technologies, which STEG was wary of and whose implementation it has slowed. The Tunisian revolu- tion has strongly shaken the balance of power in the country, allowing for multiple and multi-level criticisms of STEG and for the forging of new alliances for renew- able energy projects. Some of these projects are on the verge of implementation. Because they rely on different geographical visions and varied technologies, however, they may in the end prove unevenly successful.