The UAE and Masdar have accelerated the growth of renewable energy in Mauritania, with the start of construction on seven solar photovoltaic projects which will enable Mauritania to save yearly on six million litres of diesel.

The projects are Masdar’s second initiative in Mauritania, and focuses on clean energy generation and distribution in remote areas. By virtue of their nature, the solar PV energy production plants will contribute toward limiting climate change impact. A ground-breaking ceremony by representatives of the UAE, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and Masdar, marked the official start of construction in Mauritania on the seven projects, which have a total capacity of 12MW.

In addition, the initiative also lends strong support to the United Nations’ energy-related Sustainable Development Goal. This goal aims to broaden access to clean and affordable energy for greater numbers of people. Respectively the seven power plants will, on average, meet 30 per cent of electricity demand for each of the towns in which they are being developed. The first UAE-funded project Sheikh Zayed 15MW solar energy project in Nouakchott developed by Masdar, was delivered in March 2013. The overall projects of 27MW in Nouakchott including the seven remote cities target 50 per cent of Mauritania’s population. Details