In 2022, more than half of Mauritania’s electricity consumption—about 59%—was supplied by fossil fuels. Low-carbon sources provided roughly 22%, while net imports accounted for the remaining 19%; the data do not identify the sources behind those imports. Hydropower supplied about 10% of electricity consumption, solar 7%, and wind 5%. Clean electricity therefore made a meaningful contribution, but fossil fuels still dominated, leaving considerable room to reduce climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Mauritania?

Electricity consumption per person reached a new record in 2022, although growth was modest. At 414 kWh per person, it exceeded the previous record of 402 kWh in 2020 by 12 kWh, or about 3%. Low-carbon electricity generation, however, was below its earlier peak: 92 kWh per person compared with 105 kWh in 2019, a decline of 13 kWh, or roughly 12%. The increase in overall electricity consumption is encouraging, but the shortfall in clean generation is concerning. Stronger low-carbon growth would help support wider electrification and future demand, including digital infrastructure and AI.

Suggestions

Mauritania can increase low-carbon electricity generation by expanding solar and wind while considering nuclear power as a longer-term source of dependable clean electricity. Sunny, arid regions offer useful solar examples: solar supplies about 35% of electricity generation in the US state of Nevada and 24% in Chile. Nearby Morocco, where wind provides about 20% of electricity generation, offers a particularly relevant regional example for wind development. For nuclear, Mauritania could study the United Arab Emirates, where nuclear supplies about 20% of electricity generation, and France, where it supplies roughly two-thirds. Learning from these regions’ planning, workforce development, and electricity infrastructure could help Mauritania build a larger, more diversified low-carbon supply.

History

The reported history shows intermittent gains rather than sustained expansion in Mauritania’s low-carbon electricity generation. Hydropower recorded no change in several listed years during the 2000s before increasing by 0.1 TWh in 2009. In the early 2010s, the listed hydropower figures remained unchanged, and solar and wind also recorded no change in 2013. Wind generation increased by 0.1 TWh in 2015, but hydropower fell by 0.1 TWh in 2016—a disappointing setback. Solar then increased by 0.1 TWh in 2018. The remaining listed observations through 2021 show no additional gains in the sources reported for those years, underscoring the need for steadier clean-electricity expansion.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade