Mauritania Energy Information

Total Energy Consumption

Energy consumption per capita is estimated at 0.36 toe, including 255 kWh of electricity (2020).

Total energy consumption is growing rapidly (+4%/year, on average, since 2010) and reached 1.7 Mtoe in 2020.

Oil covers 67% of the country's energy needs, biomass 31%, and primary electricity (hydroelectricity, wind, and solar) only 2%.

Oil is mainly used by the transport sector (59%) and for electricity production (23%) (2020).

Graph: CONSUMPTION TRENDS BY ENERGY SOURCE (Mtoe)

Interactive Chart Mauritania Total Energy Consumption

Crude Oil Production

Oil production, which started in 2006 at the Chinguetti oil field at a level of 1.5 Mt and halved in 2007, has almost disappeared since then (0.05 Mt in 2020). This situation was mainly due to technical difficulties (geological problems, maintenance, gas leaks, false alarms, closure of a well, rise in the level of water, etc.) and the geological structure of the field.

The country's only refinery stopped operating in 2000.

Interactive Chart Mauritania Crude Oil Production

Renewable in % Electricity Production

The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP, 2011) set the objective of a share of 15% of renewables in power production in 2015 and of 20% in 2020. The target was achieved in 2020 as renewables accounted for 32% of the power mix, of which 17% for wind and solar and 15% for hydro.

Interactive Chart Mauritania Share of Renewables in Electricity Production (incl hydro)

CO₂ Fuel Combustion/CO₂ Emissions

In its updated NDC, the country set a GHG emissions reduction target of 92% in 2030, compared to a BAU scenario.The reduction target is divided into an unconditional reduction target of 11% and a conditional target of 81%.

CO₂ emissions from energy combustion are increasing rapidly (around 8%/year since 2015) and reached 3.5 Mt in 2020, i.e. over 3 times more than in 1990.

Graph: CO₂-ENERGY EMISSIONS (MtCO₂)