Mauritania’s SNIM Expands Solar Push

Key Figures & Findings: Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière de Mauritanie (SNIM), one of West Africa’s largest mining companies and Mauritania’s top state-owned enterprise, has commissioned a second solar PV plant to support its industrial grid, over a decade after its first foray into solar. This signals a deliberate shift toward energy autonomy in high-consumption sectors. SNIM, responsible for over 90% of Mauritania’s export earnings, seeks to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and the national grid. The plant connects exclusively to SNIM’s isolated network, which serves its mining operations, with a thermal plant set to follow as part of a hybrid system rollout.

Future Implications: If SNIM maintains its hybrid energy rollout, it could reduce mining-sector fuel costs and emissions by 2026, while boosting resilience in Mauritania’s strategic ore corridor. The project may also serve as a model for other African state-owned utilities balancing autonomy with sustainability.

Source:  Africa Energy