Mauritania has reached a US $300M agreement with Ewa Green Energy to build a 220MW hybrid plant that will combine 160 MW of solar power and 60 MW of wind generation, supported by a 370-megawatt-hour (MWh) battery storage system.
The project, among the largest of its kind in the country, is expected to come online by 2026. Once operational, the facility is projected to deliver an average of 60 MW of electricity daily, helping to stabilize the national grid and reduce dependence on imported power.
Under a 15-year build–operate–transfer arrangement, Ewa Green Energy will manage the plant before transferring ownership to the state. Electricity produced will be purchased by Mauritania’s national utility, Somelec, through a long-term power purchase agreement.
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Modernizing energy sector
The initiative is a key step in the government’s broader reforms aimed at opening the energy sector to greater private participation. Earlier this year, Petroleum and Energy Minister Mohamed Ould Khaled confirmed that future generation projects would be privately developed, with state entities gradually moving out of direct power production. Updated investment and public–private partnership frameworks are also being introduced to attract foreign investors.
Recent agreements highlight this shift: Somelec and the mining giant SNIM have entered power supply deals with Saudi Arabia’s TAQA and Egypt’s GoGas Holding, supporting a gas-to-power program due in 2028 that will use the Banda gas field to produce more than 150 MW of electricity and phase out heavy fuel oil.
In parallel, Mauritania has secured strong backing for renewable energy projects. In January 2024, the country signed US $289.5M in financing agreements with the African Development Bank to expand solar generation, develop the Mauritania–Mali interconnection line, and roll out rural electrification projects under the PIEMM and RIMDIR programs.
These combined measures underscore Mauritania’s commitment to modernizing its energy sector, cutting carbon emissions, and building a diversified mix of power sources to meet the growing needs of households and industry.
