AREVA's Transmission and Distribution (T&D) division (Paris, France) has won two contracts in Tunisia, totaling 62 million euros, to build five high-voltage (HV) substations and two electricity control centers. The turnkey contracts, with national utility Société Tunisienne de l'Electricité et du Gaz (STEG), are part of the country's 10th grid reinforcement program.

Under the first contract worth 41 million euros, AREVA will design, manufacture, build and install five 90/33/11-kV HV gas-insulated substations located in and around Tunis. AREVA also will provide connection works and equipment for three existing substations. The HV substations will help boost the national T&D grid and will be Tunisia's first to be equipped with a digital control system. The scope of the contract will include B65-type 90-kV gas-insulated switchgear, WS-type 33 and 11-kV gas-insulated switchboards as well as commissioning, testing and training services.

Under the second contract, totaling 21 million euros, AREVA will design and build a new national and regional control center in Northern Tunisia. AREVA also will build a second regional control center and a back up for the national control center located in the southern part of the country. The control centers will enable the STEG to efficiently manage the country's entire transmission network. Each control center will be equipped with a SCADA and energy management system (EMS) based on AREVA's e-terraplatform software. AREVA also will design and build a telecommunications infrastructure that will automatically exchange information with the control centers and which will cover 83 substations throughout the country.