Masdar starts building 15-MW PV project in Mauritania

Oct 23, 2012 - Abu Dhabi's state-owned renewable energy developer Masdar is building a 15-MW photovoltaic (PV) plant in Nouakchott, Mauritania, the company said in a statement today.

Mauritania's state-owned power utility Societe Mauritanienne de l'electricite (SOMELEC) will own and operate the solar plant, which is the first utility-scale solar project in the country and will account for 10% of Mauritania's grid-tied capacity, according to Masdar.

At present, Mauritania has a total installed grid-tied power capacity of 144 MW, mostly diesel-fired power generators. The country has an electrification rate of 60% and faces energy shortages. The annual growth in power demand in the country is estimated at 12% in 2012. At the same time, Mauritania has large unutilised renewable energy potential, with its wind energy resource estimated to be almost four times its annual power demand, Masdar said.

The company added that the PV project in Mauritania is part of its commitment to the United Nations' Year of Sustainable Energy for All initiative aimed at enabling universal access to modern energy services, doubling the global energy efficiency improvement rate and the the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!