TuNur has been included in the shortlist of projects of the Ten Year Network Development plan of the European Network of Transmission Operators
In November 2015 the European Network of Transmission Operators (“ENTSO-E”) confirmed that the TuNur application for the Ten Year Network Development Plan (“TNYDP”) 2016 has been accepted and the project is successfully included in the shortlist.
ENTSO-E is helping to build the world’s largest electricity market, the benefits of which will be felt by the whole energy sector and also by Europe’s overall economy, today and in the future. The network represents 41 electricity transmission system operators (TSOs) from 34 countries across Europe. ENTSO-E was established and given legal mandates by the EU in 2009, aiming at further liberalising the electricity market in the EU.
In order to support decision-makers on grid investment at regional and European level, the TYNDP provides a vision of the whole European electricity transmission network for the subsequent decade. It is updated every two years.
The main objectives are the integration of renewable energy sources (RES) e.g. solar, wind, etc. into the European power system, and the completion of the internal energy market (IEM), which is central to meeting the 3 EU energy policy objectives of: affordability, sustainability and security of supply.
Based on the technical and legal data provided with the application, ENTSO-E will run the final assessment of all projects in the frame of TYNDP 2016 between November 2015 and May 2016. This assessment will be based on the European Commissions (“EC”) approved Cost Benefit Analysis methodology.
The projects included in the final TYNDP shortlist will be eligible to apply as Project of Common Interest (“PCI”) 2017 to get regulatory and financial support from the EU. These projects may benefit from accelerated licensing procedures, improved regulatory conditions, and access to financial support for both construction and development from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
About TuNur
TuNur is a solar export project from Tunisia to Europe. It aims to develop the first utility-scale solar export project between Tunisia and Europe. As a first stage, the project consists of a 250MW CSP Tower plant with molten salt storage with a dedicated HVDC transmission line from the site, landing in Malta. As a second stage, the project consists of 2,250MW CSP Tower plant with molten salt storage on the same site with a dedicated HVDC transmission line from the site, landing North of Rome, Italy. Once landed in Italy 9,000GWh per annum of low carbon dispatchable power will be transported to off-takers across Europe. The project will contribute significantly to the decarbonization of the European grid by opening a new energy corridor between North Africa and Europe, purposefully built for the transportation of solar energy from the Sahara desert to the European grid. At the same time the project will provide a strong stimulus to enhance the Tunisian economy and further its path toward sustainable growth.
About Nur Energie
Nur Energie is an independent solar power plant developer focused on significant climate change mitigation by opening new energy corridors. Nur is developing utility scale concentrated solar power (“CSP”) and photovoltaic (“PV”) projects in Southern Europe and North Africa that are capable of producing low carbon, base load power at competitive prices, all whilst generating significant socio economic benefits within the regions it develops in. Nur currently has over 2,200MW of under development in Greece, Morocco, Tunisia and France.