Tunisia’s Water Revolution: Scaling Desalination with Solar Power

Tunisia is taking bold, decisive steps to address its most pressing challenge: water scarcity. As the country faces diminishing rainfall and growing demand, it is rapidly expanding its water infrastructure through a large-scale shift toward seawater desalination, increasingly powered by the nation’s abundant renewable energy resources.

A New Strategy for Water Security

In April 2026, the World Bank approved a major financing package for the “Tunisia Water Security and Resilience Program,” signaling a transition from emergency responses to a systemic, long-term infrastructure model. The country is currently scaling up its desalination capacity to secure a sustainable future for its citizens and agricultural sector.

Key milestones in this transformation include:

• Expanding Zarat: The Zarat seawater desalination plant in Gabès is undergoing an expansion from 50,000 to 100,000 cubic meters per day, providing critical support for the communities of Gabès, Médenine, and Tataouine.
• Infrastructure Modernization: Beyond desalination, Tunisia is deploying 100,000 smart meters and rehabilitating distribution networks in regions like Sfax, Tozeur, and Kebili to drastically reduce water loss.
• Ambitious Targets: The national water utility (SONEDE) is committed to increasing the contribution of desalinated water to the country’s total supply from its current level to 30% by 2030.

The Water-Energy Nexus

A critical component of this strategy is addressing the high energy costs associated with reverse osmosis. With desalination currently costing around one dollar per cubic meter, the government is aggressively integrating solar energy into the process.

This effort is supported by massive investments in renewable energy, such as:

• Solar Scaling: The recent completion of 100 MW of solar power plants in Sidi Bouzid and Tozeur, alongside new tenders for a 350 MW solar project in Bazma, provides the green electricity needed to power the next generation of water infrastructure.
• Hybrid Innovation: Future desalination projects are being designed with energy efficiency at their core, utilizing energy recovery devices that significantly lower power consumption.
• Sustainability and Resilience: By pairing water infrastructure with solar farms, Tunisia is not only stabilizing its power grid but also insulating its water supply from the volatile costs of fossil fuels.

Shaping the Future of Arid-Land Management

Tunisia is positioning itself as a regional hub for expertise in the “Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus.” Through academic partnerships and international conferences—such as the 10th Mediterranean Conference on Desalination and Water Treatment (CMTDE 2026)—the country is actively sharing its findings on membrane technology, renewable-powered water treatment, and climate-resilient water systems.

As Tunisia maneuvers through these climate pressures, its dual focus on infrastructure expansion and renewable energy integration serves as a powerful case study for the MENA region: that security in a changing climate is best achieved by combining innovation with local resource management.