Beyond Poles and Wires: A Conversation on Emerging Trends in Tunisia's Energy Sector
Date
Demand for electricity is rising alongside economic growth and development in Tunisia. Looking towards the long-term sustainability of its energy sector, the country is transforming its power capabilities and increasing energy security with homegrown energy resources and sustainable energy infrastructure.
RTI International invites you to virtually join experts from The Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE), Expectation State, and EnerNex for a conversation on transitions and emerging trends in Tunisia’s energy sector. English to French interpretation will be available throughout the live webinar.
From solar-plus-storage, to smart grid technologies, to private sector investment in renewable energy, we will examine how cutting-edge technologies and data-driven solutions can help Tunisia achieve higher levels of renewable energy penetration and electricity system efficiency. We will discuss how megatrends across the global energy utility industry can contribute to ambitious targets set out in the Tunisian Solar Plan.
Join this virtual discussion to discover how energy stakeholders in Tunisia can adapt to a rapidly changing technological and regulatory landscape.
Watch the Webinar
Meet the Experts
RTI International hosts events to engage in important international development discourse. The views of non-RTI presenters, speakers, and guests do not represent the views of RTI International.
Moderator: Amer Barghouth, Senior Energy Finance Advisor, RTI International
Amer Barghouth is a Senior Energy Finance Advisor at RTI International where he specializes in clean energy finance and has multidisciplinary experience in clean technology, sustainable energy, and entrepreneurship. Currently, Mr. Barghouth manages the USAID-funded Power Africa Off-grid Project, which is led by RTI International and aims to create 6 million off-grid connections in more than 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa by 2022. He has also served as deputy team leader and technical manager for the Canadian-funded Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) project in Jordan.
Mehdi Ben Abdallah, Board Chair, Expectation State Tunisia
Mehdi Ben Abdallah is the Board Chair of Expectation State Tunisia, an organization that specializes in facilitating private sector investment in emerging states to catalyze growth, strengthen the economy, and benefit society as a whole. Mehdi is also the Founder and Managing Partner of Excalibur International Advisory (EXIA), an independent firm focused on supporting businesses and governments in investment and trade. He previously served as General Manager with Shell and Vice-President with BG Group in Tunisia, where he was entrusted to lead several hundred million complex government and commercial negotiations with high value impact. He is currently a senior advisor for several energy companies, both in Oil & Gas and Renewables. Presently, he is President of the Tunisian-Danish Chamber of Commerce, Board Member and President of Honour of the Tunisian-British Chamber of Commerce, Board Member of the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce in London and the American Chamber of Commerce in Tunisia. He is also a Founding Member and the former President of the Tunisian Council for Bilateral Chambers and the former Executive Director in charge of International Relations at UTICA, the leading confederation of Tunisian businesses, where he helped to reposition the Tunisian private sector internationally and supported negotiations of several bilateral and multilateral investment and trade agreements.
Rim Boukchina, Head of Sustainable Energy Policies and Member States Support Unit, RCREEE
Rim Boukchina is the Head of Sustainable Energy Policies and Member States Support Unit for RCREEE where she leads national and regional projects related to renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) deployment in the Arab region. She spearheads the development and implementation of RE and EE policies and action plans, the management of sustainable energy projects, and the planning and implementation of capacity development activities for sustainable energy and climate change. She has more than 22 years of experience planning and developing RE and EE projects and has been deeply involved in Euro-Mediterranean projects and studies in the sustainable energy field, working with organizations such as the European Union and World Bank. Mrs. Boukchina started her career as an energy planner in the Tunisian Utility of Electricity and Gas (STEG).
Ron Chebra, Vice President, EnerNex
Ron Chebra is Vice President of Grid Modernization for EnerNex, a leader in providing engineering, consulting, and research services to the electric power industry worldwide. He is a recognized expert in utility modernization with a deep operating knowledge of technology solutions in areas such as microgrids, battery energy storage, renewable energy integration, smart grid, distribution automation, advanced metering infrastructure, demand response, and ‘Behind the Meter' technologies. He provides strategic consulting services to leading energy organizations and industry suppliers of products and services. Mr.Chebra has over 35 years of experience in the field, is a frequent contributor to industry journals, and has previously been the Chairman of the Smart Cities/IoT Track for DistribuTECH.