On December 5, Mauritania reported that, leveraging the abundant wind and solar power resources of the Sahara Desert and its geographical proximity to the European market, it is accelerating the development of its green hydrogen industry. The country aims to achieve an annual production target of 12.5 million mt of green hydrogen by 2035, positioning itself among Africa's leading green hydrogen producers. Its ambitious clean energy strategy is regarded by the industry as one of the most forward-looking plans in Africa.
Policy First to Attract Investment, Global Capital Intensively Deploying
To facilitate the implementation of the green hydrogen industry, Mauritania has completed the establishment of key institutions: it enacted its first Green Hydrogen Law and established a Green Hydrogen Authority, clarifying core regulations such as tax incentives and industry supervision. This has successfully attracted financial and technical support from institutions including the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, and the European Union. Among these, the World Bank has approved a special loan of $82.5 million to support the construction of ESS facilities and optimization of power supply for local green hydrogen projects.
Driven by policy incentives, global energy enterprises are increasing their investments:
- CWP Global AMAN Project: plans for 30GW of wind and solar power generation, with an investment of $40 billion. Upon completion, it is expected to produce 1.7 million mt of green hydrogen or 10 million mt of green ammonia annually. Geological feasibility studies have been completed, and production is scheduled to commence in 2030, making it one of the largest single green hydrogen projects in Africa;
- Chariot and TotalEnergies NOUR Project: with a total scale of 10GW, it has partnered with the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, focusing on the European green hydrogen export market. The first phase plans an annual output of 120,000 mt of green hydrogen and is currently in the feasibility study stage;
- GreenGo Energy Megaton Moon Project: includes 13GW of renewable energy and 6GW of electrolysis capacity. The first phase is expected to launch in 2029, further enhancing the country's green hydrogen capacity matrix;
- Additionally, enterprises like BP are advancing projects with an annual production capacity of 200,000 mt of green hydrogen, currently in the feasibility study stage and planned to commence operation in 2027.
Anchoring Economic Transformation Goals, Facing Infrastructure Support Challenges
The Mauritanian government views the green hydrogen industry as a core engine for economic diversification, hoping that this emerging industry will enhance domestic electrification levels, create jobs, and reduce dependence on traditional resources. However, project advancement still faces key infrastructure bottlenecks: a 1,400-kilometer power transmission line connecting Nouadhibou and Nouakchott needs to be built to address cross-regional power transmission issues; simultaneously, new desalination plants are required in Nouadhibou and Ndiago to resolve the water shortage challenges for green hydrogen production.
