The bid deadline for a project to expand Tunisia’s natural gas network tendered by state-owned Tunisian Electricity & Gas Company (STEG) has been extended.

This is the third extension to the bid deadline, according to information first obtained by the regional project-tracking service MEED Projects.

The project, known as the National Natural Gas Transmission Network Reinforcement Project, was first tendered with a bid submission date of 21 February 2023. This was later extended to 22 March and then 19 April.

The latest bid submission deadline is 2 May.

The National Natural Gas Transmission Network Reinforcement Project will take place across the municipalities of El-Hamma, Kebili, Siliana and the Tunisian Sahel region.

The project, which is estimated to be worth around $400m, has been divided into four packages:

Package one

• Laying a 54km main steel pipeline with a diameter of 12 inches
• Laying 7.5km and 1.3km branch pipes with a diameter of 8 inches and 4 inches, respectively
• Supply of steel tubes with diameters of 8 and 12 inches
• Installation of safety equipment
• Related ancillary works

Package two

• Laying a 46km main steel pipeline with a diameter of 12 inches
• Laying 44km and 3km steel pipes with a diameter of 8 inches and 4 inches, respectively
• Laying a 110mm polyethylene (PE) pipe in the same trench as the 8-inch diameter steel pipe with a length of 6km
• Installation of safety equipment
• Related ancillary works

Package three

• Laying a 31km main steel pipeline with a diameter of 8 inches
• Installation of safety equipment
• Related ancillary works

Package four

• Laying a 40km main pipeline with a diameter of 12 inches
• Laying a 20km branch pipeline with a diameter of 8 inches
• Installation of safety equipment
• Related ancillary works

The Saudi Arabia-based development finance institution Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is providing funds for the project.

In March, Italy’s foreign minister announced that his country would invest €110m ($118.4m) in Tunisia in a bid to shore up stability in the North African country.

Antonio Tajani said the money would be transferred via the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and that he hoped the Washington-based IMF would approve further funding.

Italy has been pushing the IMF to unblock a $1.9bn loan to Tunisia over fears that it could be destabilised without financial assistance, with significant consequences for Italy’s energy supplies and migration to Europe.

Tunisia is strategically important to Italy’s energy security as part of the route of the Trans-Mediterranean pipeline, which delivers gas to Italy and Central Europe from Algeria.