In 2022, fossil fuels supplied almost three-fifths of Mauritania’s electricity consumption, while low-carbon sources supplied just over a fifth and net imports accounted for nearly a fifth. Hydropower contributed about 10% of electricity consumption, solar about 7%, and wind about 5%. The source mix of imported electricity is not specified, so imports cannot be classified here as either fossil or clean electricity. Expanding domestic low-carbon generation would help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and their associated climate and air-pollution impacts.

Is Electricity Growing in Mauritania?

Electricity consumption per person reached a new high in 2022, at 414 kWh, exceeding the previous record of 402 kWh in 2020 by 12 kWh, or about 3%. That growth is welcome, but clean electricity generation per person did not keep pace: it reached 92 kWh, around 12% below the 2019 record of 105 kWh. Mauritania therefore achieved modest growth in electricity consumption per person while its low-carbon generation per person remained below its earlier peak—a concerning gap as electrification and future demand require more clean electricity.

Suggestions

Mauritania can accelerate low-carbon electricity generation by expanding solar and wind while exploring nuclear power as a longer-term option. Sunny reference regions offer useful examples: solar supplies about a quarter of electricity generation in Chile and more than a third in the US state of Nevada. Nearby Morocco, where wind provides about a fifth of generation, offers a particularly relevant example for developing wind resources and grid connections. Mauritania could combine new solar and wind projects with storage and stronger transmission networks. For nuclear development, it could study the expertise, institutions, and international partnerships underpinning the United Arab Emirates’ nuclear sector, which supplies about a fifth of its electricity generation, and France’s, which supplies roughly two-thirds.

History

The supplied historical figures show intermittent gains rather than sustained growth in Mauritania’s low-carbon electricity generation. Hydropower recorded no change at the reported precision in several years during the 2000s, before increasing by 0.1 TWh in 2009. The early 2010s brought further reported flat years for hydro, solar, and wind. Wind generation then increased by 0.1 TWh in 2015, but hydropower fell by the same amount in 2016. Solar added 0.1 TWh in 2018, a welcome advance, while the remaining listed observations through 2021 show no change at the reported precision. This uneven progress highlights the importance of sustained investment to deliver consistent growth in clean electricity.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade