Several bilateral donors and multilateral agencies, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), have pledged to mobilise funding for a US$900m power transmission line between Mauritania and Mali. The project, which also comprises solar power plants, will strengthen and extend distribution networks covering nearly 1,500 km of high-voltage (225 kV) lines. The line will connect new renewable energy plants to the sub-region’s power grid as it is connected to the Senegal River Basin Development Organisation (OMVS)’s grid. It will be part of the trans-Sahel spine, which is currently being studied, connecting Mauritania to Chad, passing through Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Mauritania is a net importer of electricity with -0.2 TWh in 2021. The country imports power from the OMVS network via Senegal, with most of the supply coming from Mali. Three dams have been built by the OMVS on the Senegal river in Mali: Manantali (200 MW, including 15% for Mauritania), Félou (62 MW, including 30% for Mauritania) and Gouina, commissioned in 2022 (140 MW, including 33% for Mauritania). The share available to Mauritania represents about 95 MW, i.e. about 15% of the country’s installed capacity.