Sonelgaz, Algeria’s state-owned electricity and gas utility, launched a national and international tender on Wednesday, September 30, for the construction of two wind farms with a combined capacity of 200 megawatts (MW). The tender covers the “study, engineering, civil works, supply, transport, assembly, training, testing and commissioning” of two wind projects, each with a capacity of 100 MW.

The first wind farm is expected to be built in Laghouat province in central Algeria, while the second will be located in Djelfa province in the north. Both projects also include the infrastructure required to connect them to the national electricity transmission grid. Bidders must demonstrate “proven experience and sufficient references worldwide in carrying out similar projects, as well as technical and financial capabilities meeting the tender specifications.”

The two planned wind farms would be Algeria’s largest wind power project. Algeria currently has only one operational wind farm, with a capacity of 10 MW, according to statistics published in July 2016 by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Operated by Sonelgaz, the facility is located about 70 km north of Adrar province in the Algerian Sahara. Interested foreign companies may bid individually or as part of a consortium, while Algerian companies are required to form consortia with foreign firms. Technical and financial bids must be submitted by November 25, 2026.

The projects would help diversify an electricity mix that is more than 99% dependent on natural gas. “The renewable energy development program is taking on a new dimension by adding wind power to solar photovoltaic energy,” said Boukhalfa Yaïci, director general of Green Energy Cluster Algeria (GECA), a nonprofit grouping of companies, universities, higher education institutions and research centers active in green energy.

Algerian authorities have pursued plans to expand renewable energy for about 15 years. In 2011, the country adopted its first national program, targeting 22,000 MW of renewable capacity by 2030, including 12,000 MW for the domestic market and 10,000 MW for export. In 2024, the authorities reaffirmed those targets, setting a goal of 15,000 to 22,000 MW of installed renewable capacity by 2030 to 2035.

Renewable deployment remains far below those targets despite Algeria’s substantial solar and wind potential. Installed renewable capacity stood at 601 MW at the end of 2025, representing less than 1% of the electricity mix, according to IRENA.

According to the U.S.-based Transnational Institute think tank, several factors have slowed renewable energy deployment in Algeria, including complex administrative procedures, a lack of coordination in planning, limited grid capacity to accommodate decentralized generation, and delays in securing financing and signing contracts.