Algeria's Council of Ministers has approved the decision to launch solar power tenders with a cumulative capacity of 200 MW. According to the government's renewable energy news platform, Portail Algerien des Energies Renouvelables, out of the 200 MW, around 150 MW will be international tenders, allowing local, public and private companies to partner with international players.
At least 50 MW will be reserved for national utility Sonelgaz. With solar module prices now very low, the Minister of Energy, Mustapha Guitouni said, it is the right time to launch these projects. Specifications for call for tenders is being worked out to be ready by the end of 2018.
In April 2018, there were reports of new renewable energy tenders to be launched in the country, but it carried no specific timeline (see Algeria To Launch 170 MW RE Tender) Algeria had big plans for local cell and module manufacturing in the past, but this did not fully materialize, although there is some local module manufacturing in the country. The country also announced in early 2017 to tender over 4 GW in Mach of that year, but this has yet to happen (see Algeria 4 GW PV Tender soon).
Algeria commissioned four new renewable energy plants with a total capacity of almost 123 MW in 2017, according to the portal. The country is aiming to have 4.5 GW of renewable energy installed by 2020, and increase it to 22 GW by 2030. Solar is expected to have the highest share with 13,575 MW, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).