An energy-saving and decarbonisation project using solar energy will be carried out as part of a Tunisian-Japanese partnership between a Tunisian industrialist who is a member of the Tunisian-Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCITJ) and the Japanese multinational Yanmar Corp.

The project, which involves substituting 50% of the energy used in the manufacturing process with solar energy, with a capacity of 2 MW/h and a saving of 1,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide, is part of the Japanese government’s Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) programme. The latter receives annual funding of 100 million dollars and is present in 26 countries around the world, the CCITJ said on Tuesday.

The CCITJ added that “it was honoured to be the first Tunisian institution to present a draft of its White Book in the field of the blue economy, in collaboration with the Japanese Embassy in Tunis.

A working meeting between the Delegation of the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, the managers of the JCM Japan programme, representatives of Yanmar Corporation, representatives of the Japanese Embassy in Tunisia and the CCITJ’s executive members was held on Tuesday at the Chamber’s head office to discuss the procedures to be implemented to complete this project and get it up and running within three years.

“This project is part of the TICAD8 follow-up plan drawn up by the CCITJ in partnership with a number of Japanese institutions,” said the Chamber.

The JCM is a mechanism established by the Government of Japan to appropriately assess Japan’s contributions to the quantifiable reduction and absorption of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the diffusion of decarbonisation technologies, products, systems, services and infrastructure.

This includes implementing mitigation actions in other countries and using them to achieve Japan’s emissions reduction target.

Yanmar, the Japanese multinational corporation, is a supplier of small and large engines, agricultural machinery and equipment, construction equipment, power systems, machine tools and components. The company promotes sustainable solutions based on energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

To contribute to the ultimate goal of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and facilitate global action to reduce or absorb greenhouse gas emissions, Japan has signed bilateral agreements with 26 countries, including Tunisia.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse