Vertical: Utilities
Application: Fault location and service restoration, real-time grid monitoring, energy loss reduction, renewable energy integration, smart metering
Ecosystem: E3-International, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, G&W Electric, Nokia
Private Network: LTE
Tunisia’s national electricity and gas utility, Société tunisienne de l’électricité et du gaz (STEG), has officially commissioned a set of advanced U.S. technology solutions in the Moknine region as part of a broader smart grid pilot program. The commissioning ceremony was attended by Sousse Governor Sofiene Tanfouri, U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia Bill Bazzi, and STEG Chief Executive Faycel Tarifa.
The technologies commissioned represent approximately €1.5 million in U.S.-supplied equipment and solutions, drawn from a total pilot program budget of 15 million Tunisian dinars — roughly €4.5 million — funded by the U.S. government. The program has been underway since 2020 and runs through 2026, combining technical studies, skills transfer, and professional development alongside the deployment of advanced grid technology.
The centerpiece of the Moknine deployment is a Fault Location, Isolation and Service Restoration (FLISR) system, which detects outages and restores electrical service automatically, reducing dependence on manual intervention. The system was implemented in collaboration with U.S. firms E3-International, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, and G&W Electric. Supporting the FLISR system is a private LTE communications network installed by Nokia, which provides real-time monitoring and optimized operations management across the distribution grid.
Ambassador Bazzi framed the deployment in terms of bilateral opportunity: “This important milestone demonstrates the impact of American technologies in the partnership with Tunisia to modernize critical infrastructure, foster mutual economic growth, and create new business opportunities for US companies in the Tunisian market.” On the Tunisian side, CEO Tarifa stated that the project “fully fits into STEG’s strategic vision to modernize the national electricity grid and support Tunisia’s energy transition through smart grid technologies.”
The Moknine pilot is designed as a proving ground for a model that could eventually scale nationwide. STEG controls nearly 96% of Tunisia’s electricity production, operating an installed capacity of roughly 5,944 MW across 25 power plants. The utility faces the dual pressure of reducing energy losses while preparing the grid to absorb a growing share of renewable energy — a target set at 35% of the electricity mix by 2030. Smart meters are also part of the longer-term vision, enabling more precise consumption tracking and usage-based billing for customers.
