Mauritania Signs $300 Million Deal for First Private Hybrid Solar-Wind Plant Under Desert to Power Initiative
Mauritania has signed its first independent power producer (IPP) contract, a landmark $300 million agreement with Iwa Green Energy to develop a 60-megawatt hybrid solar and wind power plant.
The facility, due to be operational by September 2026, will add to Mauritania’s current installed capacity of about 450 megawatts. It marks a major step in the country’s strategy to harness renewable energy while attracting private sector investment.
“This project with private actors demonstrates their confidence in the Mauritanian government’s commitment to diversifying the production base and providing sustainable energy sources to serve the economy,” said Sid’Ahmed Ould Bouh, Minister of Economy and Finance, during the signing ceremony in Nouakchott.
Despite vast renewable energy resources, fewer than 10% of rural households in Mauritania currently have electricity access, with the country still heavily reliant on imported fuels. Under President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani’s energy transition plan, the government aims to achieve universal access and generate 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
The project is one of the first to be developed under the Desert to Power initiative’s Independent Power Producer Joint Protocol, backed by the African Development Bank (AfDB). The framework is designed to attract private capital to the Sahel region by standardising investment terms across 11 countries.
Energy and Petroleum Minister Mohamed Ould Khaled underlined that the project’s fully private financing model would expand power supply without adding to public debt.
Daniel Schroth, AfDB’s Director of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, praised Mauritania’s move, calling it “an important step in applying the Desert to Power Joint Protocol, illustrating its relevance as a tool for accelerating IPP projects in the Sahel.”
The hybrid solar-wind facility also aligns with Mauritania’s Mission 300 Energy Compact, aimed at scaling up clean energy investment and ensuring long-term energy security.
Launched in 2019, the AfDB’s Desert to Power Initiative seeks to harness the solar potential of 11 Sahel nations—including Mauritania, Niger, Mali, and Senegal—through major investments in renewable power generation and electricity access.
