Industry experts say Algeria will need greater private sector involvement, clear investment frameworks and international partnerships to accelerate progress toward its 2035 solar target.
Algeria should look to open its energy market to international players in order to reach its solar targets, according to a webinar on the country’s solar market held by Solarabic and the Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA).
The webinar covered Algeria’s evolving solar market and the work and regulations required for the country to achieve its target of deploying 15 GW of solar by 2035, as announced by the government earlier in the year. Work is already underway via a 3.2 GW solar development plan, which is aiming to roll out up to 20 utility-scale solar projects across twelve of the country’s provinces.
Ghazi Koubaa, Project and Solutions Manager at Longi MENA, explained that Algeria’s solar rollout has been slower than some of its North African neighbours as it does not face the same fuel import pressure. He explained that while the country is heavily reliant on gas, its production is domestic and strongly linked to its export economy.
“As a result, the renewable energy driver is different,” Koubaa told attendees. “It’s not mainly about escaping an import bill. It’s more about preserving gas for higher value export, meeting rising domestic demand, diversifying the energy mix and preparing for future carbon taxes maybe from Europe for export opportunities.”
