Arsonists attack Tunisia's biggest wind farm

TUNISIA: A series of arson attacks at a 190MW wind farm under construction in northern Tunisia has led to 75 wind turbines being taken offline.

Under attack... the Metline and Kchabta wind farm

The latest incident occurred on the night of 19-20 October, when so far unidentified intruders forced the door of one of the turbines open and set it alight. The project is located near Metline and Kchabta.

Three similar attacks have taken place since the Tunisian revolution in the winter of 2010. The doors of all the turbines have now been soldered shut while the authorities try to find a solution.

Tunisian electricity and gas company STEG says it is losing around TND 150,000 (€73,677) a day in lost electricity sales and the cost of substituted fossil fuel.

The facility is by far the largest in Tunisia. It is being built by Spanish turbine manufacturer MADE, a subsidiary of Gamesa, and funded by the Spanish government. The first 50MW was commissioned in April and the full 190MW should be completed by the end of the year.