The Ministry of Petroleum, Mines and Energy (MPME), which leads the energy sector, has the primary objec-tives of boosting equal access to energy, developing low-carbon solutions, and positioning the sector as an engine of growth and job creation. The Regulatory Authority issues licences, which are approved by the MPME, and ensures adherence to the 2001 Electri-cal Code. A new electrical code taking in account the public-private partnership law should be approved in June 2022. The state-owned power utility, Société Mauritanienne d’Electricité (SOMELEC), is in charge of the electricity segment. It has plans to separate pro-duction and transport from distribution and marketing, and reform the segment to attract independent power producers. SOMELEC represents Mauritania in opera-tional activities at the Senegal River Basin Development Organisation, which delivers 500 MW of power from three dams in Mali – Manantali (200 MW), Félou (60 MW) and Gouina (140 MW) to the member countries.
RENEWABLES
As of 2019, almost 48% of Mauritania’s electricity grid was powered by oil and gas, with increas-ing diversification into solar, wind and hydropower. Biomass, primarily charcoal and wood, is important for household energy and cooking. Under the IMF-backed national development plan, the Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity 2016-30, the govern-ment seeks to alleviate poverty by raising investment in renewables and expanding electricity access to 100% of the population by 2030, up from about 46% in 2019. SOMELEC sought to raise renewables’ share of the energy mix to 60% by the end of 2021 – with the 100-MW wind farm in Boulenouar – while also developing the transmission network and grid connections to allow for energy trading. The share of electricity generated from renewable sources in 2019 – namely, hydropower, solar and wind energy – stood at approximately 42% of the mix, up from around 14% in 2000.
SOLAR & WIND
In July 2021 the African Develop-ment Bank approved a $6m grant for the first phase of the Desert to Power West Africa Regional Energy Programme. The West African Power Pool will use the funds to conduct pre-feasibility studies for the con-struction of the Sahel Transmission Backbone, which will connect solar parks in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauri-tania and Niger. The solar segment is also supported by the 15-MW Sheikh Zayed Solar Power Plant and 50-MW Nouakchott East solar plant, which provide power to around 50,000 homes. Meanwhile, the first major wind farm, a 30-MW facility outside of Nouakchott built by Elecnor, has been operational since 2014 and has been generating carbon credits since 2018. A second farm in Boulenouar, where Elecnor is partnering with Siemens-Gamesa Renewable Energy to build a 100-MW facility, was in its final phase of development in 2021. In May 2021 the government and US renewables company CWP Global agreed to build a 30-GW wind and solar power facility in northern Mauritania, where the power is intended to create green hydrogen for worldwide export. In September 2021 the government signed an agreement with Chariot, an Africa-based energy company, to build a 10-GW green hydrogen project, of which the excess power could be used for mining activities and exports via the interconnect grid. GAS: In 2018 Mauritania and Senegal signed an agree-ment to share output from the 33,000-sq-km Greater Tortue Ahmeyim gas field, which is estimated to contain 15trn cu feet of recoverable gas reserves. The project is set to produce up to 10m tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per annum with the potential for further expansion after commercial production is slated to begin in 2023. Gas will be sent via pipeline to Mauritania and Senegal for domestic consumption, and a near-shore floating LNG vessel will receive processed gas destined for export. The government’s gas-to-power strategy seeks to reduce dependence on imported fuel and secure national supply, and a gas master plan is being developed by the MPME. Discussions are under way to develop the Branda gas field with foreign firms.
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