MENALINKS: Linking ambitious renewable energy development and efficient sector coupling in the MENA region
The project supports the scaling up of renewable energy ambitions through integration measures and sector coupling. By accelerating the expansion of renewable energy and optimising the integration and use of renewable energy, the need for additional fossil capacity will be reduced. Long-term changes in the structural framework, the development of business models, education and training measures as well as financing mechanisms will be developed and their implementation supported. A selection of the sector modules will be implemented in each of the partner countries. In addition to existing initiatives and links, the political priorities of the partner countries, emission reduction potentials and an optimal contribution to the integration of high shares of renewable energies will be taken into account.
- Countries
- Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Türkiye
- IKI funding
- 28,326,404.00 €
- Included preparation phase
- 735,047.00 €
- Duration
- 09/2023 till 11/2029
- Status
- open
- Implementing organisation
- Guidehouse Germany GmbH
- Political Partner
-
- Ministry of Electricity and Energy - Egypt
- Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment (MEMEE) - Morocco*
- Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources - Jordan
- Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources - Türkiye
- Ministry of Industry and Technology - Tunisia
- Implementing Partner
-
- Elia Grid International
- Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI
- Islamic Development Bank(IsDB)
- National Energy Research Center (NERC) - Jordan
- Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE)
- Renewables Academy AG (RENAC)
State of implementation/results
- MENA region
- The first MENALINKS scoping trips took place in 02/2024 in Egypt and Jordan and later to Morocco and Tunisia. Within these trips, possible focus areas were discussed within workshops and bilateral meetings with stakeholders.
- The MENALINKS regional kick-off conference was conducted in 09/2024 in Cairo with high-level attendance from all MENALINKS countries and the German ambassador to Egypt.
- MENALINKS hosted its first Investment Forum in 05/2025 in Cairo, bringing together developers, technology providers, and financial institutions from across the MENA region. The event served as a platform to explore innovative business models and financing strategies for renewable energy and flexibility solutions, with strong participation from both public and private sector stakeholders.
- In 05/2025, a MENALINKS mission to Morocco was conducted to coordinate with the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development and IRESEN, which among others, confirmed Morocco’s role as host of the MENALINKS Regional Study Tour in September 2025.
- Bilateral meetings and workshops were held with the Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy (MoERE), the Egyptian transmission operator Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA), as well as the regulator Egyptian Electric Utility & Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency (EgyptERA). Regulatory amendments will be proposed to EgyptERA, which will be incorporated in acts as a legislative process of reference for P2P mini-grid investments, to specify e.g. ownership, licensing and tariff structures.
- In 05/2025, EgyptERA finalized and published a new regulation for smart mini-grids, following a public consultation event.
- In 06/2025, Industrial Flexibility was launched as a second focus area for Egypt.
- In 08/2025, the first annual meeting of the National Expert Committee was held.
- Consulted stakeholders were the Jordanian Chamber of Industry (JCI), the Jordanian Ministry for Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR), the Jordanian transmission operator National Electric Power Company (NEPCO), the Jordanian Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fund (JREEEF), the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC), as well as GIZ. Based on identified needs and challenges, the MENALINKS team developed a work plan and methodology for the selected focus area of industrial flexibility to integrate larger shares of renewables. Workshops and further bilateral meetings took place in 09/2024 and in 02/2025. Besides, MENALINKS has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Jordan Industrial Estates Co. (JIEC), which administers Industrial Cities (parks) and will cooperate with data access and industrial stakeholders engagement.
- In 04/2025, MENALINKS presented the regulatory gap analysis to stakeholders in Amman to enable industrial flexibility mechanisms in Jordan. A modelling exercise was launched in June 2025 to assess Jordan’s flexibility potential. Jordan also confirmed participation in the MENALINKS South-to-South Study Tour.
- During the first scoping trip to Morocco in 06/2024, the MENALINKS team organized a workshop gathering with key national institutions, including the Ministry for Energy Transition and Sustainable Development (MTEDD), the national grid operator ONEE, the regulatory authority ANRE, and the energy agency AMEE. The workshop enabled an open exchange on Morocco’s priorities and challenges in energy system flexibility, particularly at the distribution level. Based on the reflections and outcomes of this workshop, MTEDD officially confirmed “Urban Smart Grids and Demand Aggregation” as Morocco’s national focus area in 10/2024.
- In 12/2024, the MENALINKS programme officially launched its activities in Morocco with a kick-off workshop held in Rabat, again bringing together national stakeholders. The event focused on introducing the selected focus area of Urban Smart Grids and Demand Aggregation, featuring technical inputs from Guidehouse and EGI, and an open discussion to gather feedback and align expectations on the way forward.
- In 05/2025, the MENALINKS programme conducted a second scoping trip to Morocco to advance the implementation of the national workstream on Urban Smart Grids and Demand Aggregation. The visit focused on co-creating a targeted work plan, based on clearly stated needs of the stakeholders, related to the focus area. The trip involved a series of bilateral meetings with the MTEDD, ONEE, ANRE, and the new regional entities SRM Marrakesh-Safi and Casablanca-Settat, together with the Ministry of interior.
- In 12/2024, the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME) officially confirmed the selection of the focus area for Tunisia on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). The focus area is primarily oriented towards stand-alone and decentralised BESS projects. This confirms the results of the exchanges and discussions held with the Tunisian counterparts in September 2024. A two-day workshop and consultation meeting was then organised by the MENALINKS consortium for the Tunisian stakeholders ( MIME, the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas - STEG, and the National Agency for Energy Management -ANME) to launch the activities related to BESS and provide an overview of the technical and regulatory aspects to consider for their integration in the Tunisian electricity system. The National Expert Committee (NEC) in Tunisia was launched in April 2025 and is currently meeting on a regular basis.
- Discussions with stakeholders are still underway to define the focus area. Current discussions are evolving on topics on the system level (transmission grid) and distribution level.
- In 02/2025, MENALINKS hosted a Study Tour in Berlin, bringing together representatives and experts from all five partner countries. The event featured site visits, peer exchanges, and technical sessions focused on flexibility solutions and smart grid innovation, fostering cross-country learning and collaboration.
Latest Update:
12/2025
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