The Tunisian government along with Washington-based World Bank is preparing a list of between 10 and 12 public-private partnership (PPP) projects that require investments of up to $2.5bn.

The list is expected to be ready by the second quarter and will likely include power, water and wastewater schemes, according to a source familiar with the plan.

“They have issued a similar list a few times … what is different this time around is the presence of World Bank’s support,” the source tells MEED. “Hopefully this will result in successful project deals.”

Last year, Tunis-based Group Chimique Tunisien appointed a consortium led by UK-based legal consultancy Eversheds Sutherland for the contract to undertake a feasibility study and procurement for a wastewater treatment plant in the capital Tunis and a water desalination plant in Gabes.

The feasibility study could take three months, with a tender expected to be issued in the second quarter of 2018, according to a source with knowledge of the project.

The planned water desalination plant is expected to have a capacity of 80,000 cubic-metres a day while the wastewater plant will have the capacity to treat 60,000 cubic-metres a day.

Tunisia is also planning to procure a light rail transit PPP in the city of Sfax, 270 kilometres to the southeast of Tunis, this year. The scheme will extend 16km and has an estimated budget of TND700m ($283m).