馃嚬馃嚦TunisiaNorth Africa
Tunisia's state-owned electricity and gas company faces 7 billion dinars in debt and 6 billion in unpaid bills
via Business News3 min read
Tunisia's state-owned electricity and gas company, Steg, is grappling with significant financial challenges, including 7.356 billion dinars in total debt and 6.061 billion dinars in unpaid receivables from customers as of June 23, 2026. This situation has severely weakened the company's financial stability, necessitating new financial resources to ensure public service continuity and fund planned investments. During a hearing before the Assembly of People's Representatives' Finance and Budget Committee, Steg officials presented a concerning overview of the company's state. The parliamentary session focused on two draft laws to approve state guarantees for two World Bank loans: 1.27 billion dinars and 87 million dinars from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. These funds are part of a program agreement between the Tunisian state and Steg for 2024-2028, which aims to restore the company's financial balance, improve governance, and enhance operational performance. Disbursements will be phased, contingent on Steg meeting specific objectives in renewable energy development, financial improvement, operational performance, governance, and transparency. Steg attributes its financial difficulties to several long-standing factors, including electricity and gas tariffs below production costs, uncompensated subsidies, accumulated debt, increased network losses, and volatile international hydrocarbon prices and dinar exchange rates. In 2025, the average selling pric
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