Summary:

On 23 January 2025, Mauritania and Morocco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in electricity and energy. The MoU outlined an agreement to establish electricity connectivity between the two countries. 

There was additional discussion and agreement to continue making progress on the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline and green hydrogen development. The MoU includes plans for the implementation of electricity projects in rural areas and aligning standards. 

Additionally, Moroccan Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, and his Mauritanian counterpart, Amel Bent Maouloud, discussed the possibility of creating a water interconnection and the joint construction of mobile plants for seawater desalination.  

Meanwhile, British Petroleum (BP) announced the first flows of liquified natural gas (LNG) from the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) LNG project which lies offshore between Mauritania and Senegal. BP expects to start exports in the coming months. 

BP stated that the GTA project is the biggest project in its portfolio and one of the deepest, most complex gas developments in Africa.   

Outlook: 

Energy deals between Mauritania and Morocco are likely to help Mauritania develop its energy infrastructure and thereby increase domestic access to electricity. This is an important step as currently more than the half of Mauritania’s population does not have reliable access to electricity.  

The connection of electricity grids between Morocco and Mauritania also moves toward diversifying energy sources and reducing dependency on West African infrastructure which has, at times, been more vulnerable to security and political challenges.  

Assuming a near-term commencement of production and exports from the GTA project, revenues could be used to support the country’s development goals. 

However, the cooperation between Morocco and Mauritania is likely to face challenges as the Polisario Front in Western Sahara warned Mauritania and called it to stop pursuing the recent deals which cross borders in its claimed territory. Diplomatic tensions, if not local security issues, could easily emerge from this standoff despite growing international support for Morocco’s claims to Western Sahara.  

Algeria is also likely to pressure Mauritania to abandon its deals with Morocco as it quickly reacted by organizing a meeting between Mauritanian officials and Sonatrach. Tensions between Algeria and Mauritania and the implication of the issues around the Polisario Front may challenge Mauritania’s efforts toward collaborative infrastructure development. 

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