Tunisian authorities have given for the first time a role to the private sector in wind energy production. The Ministry of Industry and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises granted licenses to four foreign companies producing electricity from wind with a 120 Megawatt generating capacity and an overall investment of 400 million Tunisian dinars. ABO WIND AG (Germany), UPC Tunisia Renewables (Netherlands) and French LUCIA HOLDING and VSB Energies Nouvelles got their projects approved in principle. Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said during a ceremony held on the occasion that giving a boost to renewables (solar and wind energy) is a priority for the government. “The government made considerable efforts in order to develop the legal and organisational aspects of the sector,” he added. The firms will sell wind power to the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas (STEG) at prices ranging between 110 millimes and 135 millimes per kilowatt hour. Tunisia’s energy deficit represents one third of the overall trade deficit, which has widened to a record level of about 19 billion dinars ($6.33 billion) in 2018 from 15.6 billion in 2017.