Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas
Tunisia's state-owned public electricity and natural-gas utility.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas, commonly known by its French acronym STEG, is Tunisia's state-owned public utility responsible for major electricity and natural-gas activities across the country. Created by Decree-Law No. 62-8 on 3 April 1962, the company consolidated a fragmented electricity sector and was granted a public monopoly over the relevant activities. Its mandate covers the production and distribution of electricity and the distribution of natural gas on Tunisian territory. STEG emerged from a period in which Tunisia's electricity industry was divided among several private or concessionary companies. By August 1959, the Tunisian government had moved to take temporary control of eight electricity companies and had placed a management committee at the head of an entity then known as the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Transport. The 1962 decree replaced this transitional arrangement with a unified public company. The restructuring reflected the newly independent state's objective of extending reliable energy access, coordinating infrastructure investment, and treating electricity and gas as nationally planned services. A central achievement associated with STEG has been the expansion of electrification. Over roughly four decades, the urban electrification rate rose from about 20 percent to nearly universal coverage, while rural electrification increased from approximately 6 percent to about 99 percent. These figures describe a long-term national infrastructure transformation rather than a single product or campaign. They also explain STEG's importance beyond its commercial role: the company has been a principal instrument of Tunisia's public-service and regional-development policies. STEG operates across the electricity value chain, including generation and distribution, while also handling natural-gas distribution. Its generation fleet has included gas-fired facilities and combined-cycle plants. In 2011, the production system was described as comprising 24 generating units with total capacity of 3,526 megawatts, with natural gas accounting for approximately 82 percent of the fuel mix at that time. Major combined-cycle projects associated with the company included facilities at Sousse, completed in 1994; Radès, completed in 2001; and Ghannouch, completed in 2011, with Alstom Power involved in their construction. The company has historically ranked among Tunisia's largest businesses. It was described as the country's second-largest company by revenue in 2009, although the available reference does not provide the underlying revenue amount. STEG's scale, nationwide network, and public ownership place it at the center of Tunisia's energy system, linking power generation, electricity delivery, gas infrastructure, and national electrification objectives. The available reference material does not document a separate consumer-facing brand architecture, major international operations, named current executives, or a recent corporate reorganization. Its public identity remains closely tied to the STEG name and to its role as Tunisia's national electricity and gas utility.
History
Before STEG was established, Tunisia's electricity industry was divided among eight separate companies. Following independence, the government began moving toward public control and coordination of the sector. In August 1958, the state initiated a process that led to temporary control of the electricity companies, and by August 1959 the government had taken over their management through a transitional administrative arrangement. A management committee was placed at the head of an entity identified in the historical account as the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Transport. This transitional structure was replaced by the creation of STEG under Decree-Law No. 62-8, dated 3 April 1962. The decree ended the fragmented arrangement and established a public company with a monopoly over electricity and natural-gas activities specified in its mandate. STEG was therefore designed not merely as a commercial enterprise but as a national infrastructure institution. Its responsibilities included electricity production and distribution and natural-gas distribution throughout Tunisia. The company's subsequent history is closely associated with Tunisia's electrification policy. During the four decades following its creation, urban electrification expanded from around one-fifth of the population to almost complete coverage. Rural access grew even more dramatically, from approximately 6 percent to about 99 percent. This expansion required the construction and operation of generation capacity, transmission and distribution infrastructure, and connections serving communities beyond the main urban centers. The available account presents the electrification figures as the outcome of a sustained public policy implemented through STEG rather than as isolated corporate milestones. STEG's generation system later developed a strong dependence on natural gas. In 2011, its production park was reported to contain 24 units with an aggregate capacity of 3,526 megawatts, and natural gas supplied approximately 82 percent of the fuel used for generation. The company also participated in the development of combined-cycle generation. Projects at Sousse, Radès, and Ghannouch were completed in 1994, 2001, and 2011 respectively, with Alstom Power involved in construction work on these plants. These projects illustrate the modernization and scaling of Tunisia's thermal generation infrastructure. By 2009, STEG was described as the second-largest Tunisian company by revenues, an indication of the utility's economic scale and importance. Its size reflected both the breadth of its national network and the essential nature of the services it provided. The available reference does not supply detailed revenue figures, ownership changes, executive histories, customer statistics, or later generation projects. On the documented evidence, STEG remains a Tunisian public company whose historical significance rests on sector consolidation, nationwide electrification, electricity generation and distribution, and natural-gas distribution.
- 2011
Ghannouch combined-cycle plant
[1]A combined-cycle facility at Ghannouch was completed. The same period reference described STEG's production park as having 24 units and total capacity of 3,526 megawatts.
- 2009
Ranks among Tunisia's largest companies
[1]STEG was described as the second-largest Tunisian company by revenues. No revenue amount is provided in the reference.
- 2001
Radès combined-cycle plant
[1]A combined-cycle power plant at Radès was completed, adding to Tunisia's gas-fired generation capacity.
- 1994
Sousse combined-cycle plant
[1]A combined-cycle power plant at Sousse was completed as part of the development of STEG's generation infrastructure, with Alstom Power involved in construction.
- 1962
STEG is established
[1]Decree-Law No. 62-8 of 3 April created the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas and replaced the temporary sector arrangement with a unified public monopoly.
- 1959
Transitional public management arrangement
[1]By August, the state had taken over management of the electricity companies through a committee associated with the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Transport.
- 1958
Government begins consolidating the electricity sector
[1]The Tunisian government began taking temporary control of the fragmented electricity industry, which was then divided among eight companies.
Products and positioning
A nationwide, state-owned energy infrastructure provider whose identity is defined by public-service delivery, national electrification, and integrated electricity and natural-gas operations.
Power generation
Electricity generation
STEG generates electricity through a national production fleet that has included gas-fired and combined-cycle units. The 2011 reference describes 24 production units with an aggregate capacity of 3,526 MW, with natural gas providing about 82 percent of the generation fuel mix at that time. Generation assets support the company's public electricity-supply mandate.
Utility distribution · 1962
Electricity distribution
Electricity distribution is one of STEG's core national activities. The company operates the infrastructure used to deliver generated power to customers throughout Tunisia. Its distribution role has been central to the country's long-term electrification policy, under which urban access approached universal coverage and rural access rose to approximately 99 percent over about four decades.
Gas utility · 1962
Natural-gas distribution
STEG distributes natural gas within Tunisia as part of the public monopoly established in 1962. Natural gas is also important to the company's power-generation system, having supplied approximately 82 percent of the fuel used by the production park in the 2011 reference period.
Power generation infrastructure · 1994
Combined-cycle power plants
STEG's combined-cycle generation infrastructure includes documented facilities at Sousse, Radès, and Ghannouch, completed in 1994, 2001, and 2011 respectively. These projects expanded gas-fired generation capacity and represented a significant part of the utility's modernization program. Alstom Power was involved in construction work on the plants.
Sources1 sources
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