Mauritania s photovoltaic energy storage matching ratio

The sustainable development of Mauritania's high-quality wind and solar resources could serve as a catalyst for the country to achieve its vision of strong and inclusive economic growth, according to a new IEA report published today.

The report's analysis finds that expanding renewable generation capacity in Mauritania could improve the sustainability of mining operations, which currently represent close to a quarter of the country's GDP. These operations are energy-intensive, and mines currently rely predominantly on fossil fuels for their electricity supply.

Renewable Energy Opportunities for Mauritania finds that the country could deploy these resources at scale to generate low-cost renewable electricity and hydrogen through electrolysis.

This could kickstart the transformation of Mauritania's energy sector, helping to close gaps in access to electricity and deliver strong economic and social benefits to the Mauritanian people. However, much more investment is needed, as is increased cooperation between both domestic and international stakeholders.

Building out Mauritania's renewable hydrogen sector could significantly accelerate sustainable development and growth in the country if inflows of foreign currency and technological capacity are channelled towards infrastructure, skills transfer and adding value to the national economy, according to the report.

The report outlines three possible pathways for Mauritania to export renewable hydrogen: shipping hydrogen to global markets in the form of ammonia; coupling existing iron ore mining with renewable hydrogen to produce higher-value direct reduced iron for export; and transporting hydrogen to Europe through a pipeline connecting Mauritania to Spain.