Published on 6/15/2026
|
Last update: 14:05 (Mecca time)
At a time when global interest in green hydrogen is growing as one of the key solutions to decarbonize the global economy, Mauritania is emerging as one of the most attractive African countries for investments in the clean energy sector. Thanks to its exceptional wind and solar resources, and its strategic location overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the country has become the focus of increasing interest by international companies and financial institutions searching for promising sites for the production of green, low-emission fuels.
This trend was reinforced by the results of a recent scientific study published in 2026 in the journal “Energies”, which concluded that the northern coast of Mauritania, especially the Nouadhibou region, is among the best locations in the world for producing green hydrogen based on wind energy, in terms of technical, economic and environmental feasibility.
However, this growing optimism is matched by a growing debate about the extent of Mauritania’s ability to transform this natural potential into an actual global energy power, in light of the technological and economic challenges that still face the green hydrogen industry at the international level.
Strategic vision since 2019
Since 2019, Mauritania has placed the development of the energy sector at the core of its development vision, as one of the main keys to achieving economic transformation and attracting foreign investments.
In recent years, the pace of announcing huge projects for green hydrogen and green ammonia has accelerated, making the country an advanced position among the African destinations nominated to play an important role in future energy markets.
In this context, Mauritanian engineer Ali Salem Al-Salek believes in a statement to Al Jazeera Net that assessing the future of this sector requires a balanced scientific reading that puts opportunities and challenges in the same balance, far from exaggerating expectations or underestimating the importance of the ongoing transformations.
According to Ali, the advanced position that Mauritania now occupies in the clean energy market is based on three main elements.
The first of these elements is the unique climatic and geographical characteristics. Mauritania has vast desert areas and a long Atlantic coastline characterized by strong and regular winds, in addition to high rates of solar radiation. He pointed out that the most important advantage lies in the integration between the two sources, as the winds are active at times different from the periods of peak solar production, which allows for the provision of renewable electricity in a more continuous and stable manner compared to many countries that rely on a single source of energy.
As for the second element, the energy expert says, it is related to the legal and regulatory framework. In 2024, Mauritania adopted a special code for green hydrogen, and established new institutions and mechanisms to facilitate investment, including the Mauritanian Green Hydrogen Agency, the single window mechanism, and the real estate registry designated for projects related to the sector, with the aim of accelerating administrative procedures and providing a more attractive environment for investors.
According to Ali, the third element is the industrial vision that links clean energy and the mining sector, as Mauritania has large reserves of iron ore exploited by the National Company for Industry and Mines, explaining that this factor allows the development of industries with high added value, such as green reduced iron and green steel, instead of being limited to exporting raw materials or energy only.
Between ambition and reality
Despite these components, Ali emphasizes that Mauritania’s transformation into a global energy power is not linked to local capabilities alone, but is also affected by the path of development of the green hydrogen industry globally.
He points out that the most prominent challenges are represented by what experts call the “energy efficiency complex,” as the hydrogen production process goes through several stages that include the generation of renewable electricity and the electrolysis of water, then compression, liquefaction, or conversion into ammonia, before transportation, storage, and reuse.
The same spokesman continued: “Storage and transportation operations pose complex technical challenges, given the physical properties of hydrogen that make transporting it over long distances more expensive compared to many other energy sources. This requires huge investments in infrastructure, whether through pipelines, ports, or specialized maritime transportation.”
The Mauritanian expert believes that talk of Mauritania’s imminent transformation into a “green giant” must be taken with some caution, given the uncertainty that still surrounds the global hydrogen market.
So far, the majority of long-term hydrogen offtake contracts are still in their early stages, while many international companies prefer to wait for a further decline in production costs before committing to large investments or commercial contracts.
Despite all these challenges, Ali emphasizes that Mauritania is moving in the right direction by building an advanced legal and regulatory framework and preparing the necessary infrastructure to attract future investments.
He stresses that the country’s success in transforming into a global player in the green energy market will ultimately depend on the technological developments that the industry will witness in the coming years, and its ability to reduce production costs, improve transportation and storage technologies, and reduce energy loss.
