The Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas (STEG) as a public and a non-administrative company, has the essential roles to :

• - Electrify the country
• - Develop the natural gas network
• - Realize the electrification and gas infrastructure

The STEG produces the LPG and the electrical energy and insures transport and distribution of electricity as well as natural gas at the national scale.

Principal objectives:

• - to provide the national market in electric energy and gas and to meet the needs for the whole of its customers (residential, industrial, tertiary...)
• - production of electricity starting from various sources (thermics, hydraulics, wind mill...)
• - Transport of electricity: The management and the development of the networks and High Voltage stations
• distribution of electricity: the management and the development of the networks and the Medium and the Low voltage stations
• - the development and land distribution of natural gas: The management of the gas network infrastructure
• - production of the LPG (Liquified Petroleum gas)

STEG has built 20 power plants (combined cycle, steam and gas turbine, hydraulic, and wind). The choice of technologies is governed by for the optimal solutions regarding reliability, availability, cost and clean energy.

In order to contribute to environment protection, STEG integrated the wind energy among its choices. Thus, a first wind power station of 20 MW was put into operation from 1999 in Sidi Daoud in the North East of the country. Besides, STEG plans to implement a second project with an additional capacity of 40 MW in 2006.

Transmission

STEG transmission network  involves 60 HV substations and about 5000 km of HV lines.

Aware of the network reliability , STEG introduced hot line working on HV network and digital techniques in the protection system of HV lines.

Interconnection

STEG transmission network is connected to Europe through Algerian and Moroccan networks. Interconnection with Libya will allow to extend the synchronous zone with Machrek countries till Syria through Libya, Egypt and Jordan.

Development Perspectives

The expected opening of the electricity market  within this decade will justify the construction of well-sized transmission channels between neighboring networks.

A feasibility study of a transmission line from Egypt up to Morocco has already been started in order to evaluate the benefits granted  and to determine the necessary enhancements for insuring maximum exchange.

A link between Tunisia and Italy is still a solution to be considered in order to enhance the opportunities of commercializing energy between the two shores of the Mediterranean.

Distribution

More than 120 000 km of medium voltage and low voltage lines have been settled by STEG to distribute electricity all over the country.

STEG is present all over Tunisia

STEG is supplying more than 2 500 000 customers with electricity (domestic, professional, industrial, agricultural, administrative). It keeps up relationships with its customers through 34 districts and 79 agencies. The global electrification rate of the country (urban and rural) is 96%.

Development Perspectives

Within the coming years, efforts will be essentially focused on improving the urban networks and modernizing the network system operation, while contributing to a clean environment and preserving the aesthetic side of cities.

STEG is also upgrading its customer management system while keeping on its assistance action to local suppliers for setting up a quality system based on ISO 9000 standards.