Mauritania may be on the verge of a major transformation from its largely agriculture-based economy to become Africa’s major energy hub thanks to gas gushing from the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) development, a massive liquefied natural gas (LNG) field off its Atlantic coast.
Mauritania and its south-western neighbor Senegal have recently achieved a historic milestone when British energy giant BP began producing gas for the first time earlier from the GTA with the projected annual production capacity of 2.3 million tonnes. Developed by BP and US-based Kosmos Energy, alongside Mauritania’s NOC Societe Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures (SMH) and Senegal’s national oil company (NOC) Petrosen, the GTA project is being hailed as ushering in a new era of gas-driven development and energy security in West Africa. In its statement, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) applauded “the milestone achieved by the governments of Senegal and Mauritania [who] have worked tirelessly to make sure the GTA project can succeed.” Both West African states have also dubbed the GTA a “project of strategic national importance”.
The Mauritanian government’s strategy to lure deal-hungry investors to its oil and gas industry comes against the backdrop of the country’s unfolding green energy transformation. This shift is centered around green hydrogen, a clean fuel produced using renewable energy, whose production process is, however, energy-intensive, requiring substantial renewable power. Through key partnerships and bold projects, the Sahara Desert nation aims to tap into its vast solar and wind resources, as well as the potential given its proximity to southern shores of Europe. With a goal to import 10 million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030, the European Union is actively supporting Mauritania’s green hydrogen push. With an estimated 400 GW of commercially viable renewable energy, Mauritania’s resource potential reportedly exceeds the current total installed power capacity of Germany.
