Tunisia - (AFP) - The sun's rays are reflected on dozens of solar panels scattered in a lake in Tunisia, seeking, like other Maghreb countries, to remedy their delay in exploiting this natural source of energy that is available almost throughout the year.

Despite bureaucratic obstacles at the administrative level, many countries have made significant strides in the production of solar energy, against the background of the rise in fuel prices as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and the growing awareness of the importance of returning to and exploiting natural resources, according to experts.

"The enormous pressure on natural gas, especially in Europe, has changed the investment equations in this field," Michael Tanchum, a researcher at the Middle East Institute in Washington, told AFP.

On the other hand, "Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco have huge resources of solar and wind energy," according to Tanchoum, a specialist in trade, energy and geopolitical affairs in the North African region.

The director of the "Keer" company, Omar Al-Bey, hopes that the model of the floating solar power plant in the lake located in the Tunisian capital, which produces 200 kilowatts, and which is the first of its kind in the North African region, will be a catalyst for launching other similar projects in the region.

Al-Bey asserts that Tunisia, which has limited resources, "has no other choice but to bet on renewable energy sources."

Floating power stations have the natural cooling of the panels, which makes them more efficient, in addition to opening the way for land exploitation "for other uses, such as agriculture or housing construction," according to Albay.

The climate of the countries of the region is moderate to hot, while the hours of sunshine are estimated at thousands over the entire year, which enhances the possibility of the region becoming a giant for the production of alternative solar energy and be able to meet its own needs and even export to Europe.

Tanchum attributes the delay in exploiting this resource to "political paralysis" caused by the absence of political stability with the succession of about ten governments in the country during the last decade.

In addition, Tunisia is burdened with debt in the framework of a crisis that is worsening day by day against the backdrop of the repercussions of the Covid-19 epidemic and the war in Ukraine, which led to an increase in its import bill of state-subsidized foodstuffs and energy.

Projects often face legal obstacles and complex administrative procedures due to bureaucracy, as Ali Al-Kanzari, head of the National Trade Union Chamber for the Installation and Maintenance of Photovoltaic Equipment, confirms.

For example, panels that are imported from outside the country "sometimes break down for a month or a month and a half at customs. We need more flexible laws and the whole process needs to be accelerated," according to Al-Kanzari.

The Bey, in turn, refers to a "disagreement" with unions in the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company who oppose any attempt to privatize the company.

The most prominent example of this is the power station project, which was built in the desert near Tataouine, and benefited from it only in October, two years after its construction, to produce 10 megawatts and supply 10,000 families with electricity.

However, there is still some hope, according to Albay, who confirms, "Today we have overcome all these problems."

The field was opened today by the authorities in the region to make up for the missed delays, according to the expert, who believes that "Morocco is the only leading country" in this field compared to Algeria and Tunisia.

Since 2009, the Kingdom has taken significant investment steps in the field of renewable energy and set a goal for clean energy to constitute 52% of its total types of energy by 2030. Currently, one-fifth of electricity production comes from environmentally friendly energy sources.

And the Moroccan Ministry of Energy confirms that it is "reaping the fruits of its vision with 111 projects that have been completed or are in the process of development in the field of renewable energies."

One of the main programs that have been implemented in the Kingdom is the "X-Link" project, with a generation capacity of more than 10 gigawatts, which depends on the sun and wind. The project exports energy to Britain through offshore cables extending over 3,800 km. It aims to provide seven million households by 2030.

Tunisia launched a more modest but similar project. And in October, it submitted a request for European aid to lay a 200-kilometre cable linking it to Italy, a project worth 800 million euros, which it hopes will be operational by 2027.

If this project could be completed with a production capacity of between 4 and 5 gigawatts in southern Tunisia, "the country would be able to sell electricity to Europe and collect significant revenues from that" and avoid delays, according to Al-Kanzari's estimate.

As for neighboring Algeria, which is fully aware that its gas resources will one day run out, it has also set itself an ambitious goal to produce 15,000 megawatts of solar energy by 2035. The first part of a huge project with a capacity of 1 gigawatt is scheduled to start operating at the end of 2023 or early 2024.

However, Algeria currently produces only limited quantities that do not exceed 3% of electricity from solar energy.

Intisar Fakir, head of the North Africa program at the Middle East Institute, said that despite the facilitations through the enactment of legislation, "there are still difficulties in front of foreign investment, including the Algerian bureaucracy."