Morocco and Mauritania have signed a electrical connection agreement on Tuesday. This came, according to a statement by the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water in Morocco (Government), after heading the general manager of the office, Tariq Haman, and the Director General of the Mauritanian Electricity Company, Sidi Salem Mohamed Al -Abd, a meeting in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, witnessed the signing of the agreement.
The statement stated that “in implementation of the directives of King Mohammed VI, and within the framework of the royal Atlantic initiative (it allows the countries of the African coast to benefit from the Atlantic Ocean) aimed at strengthening African-South-South relations, the electrical connection project between the two countries is a major step that will enhance the reliability of the electrical networks of the two countries.” .
He explained that the electrical connection between the two countries opens horizons for energy exchange between them and Europe and West Africa as part of the energy gathering of West Africa.
In December 2023, the ministers of the African coast countries, in the Moroccan city of Marrakech, agreed to establish a national team in each country to prepare and propose ways to activate an international initiative for King Mohammed VI, to benefit the countries of the Sahel from the Atlantic Ocean.
The statement pointed out that “the project will enable the benefit of integration by linking electricity networks in the two countries in light of a higher goal that is evident in achieving better integration and optimal exploitation of the resources of renewable energies in the two countries.”
After the signing of the agreement, the technical teams of the Moroccan Office and the Mauritanian company began consulting to start the implementation of the project, according to the statement.
Last January, Moroccan Energy Minister Laila Benali and Mauritanian Energy Minister Mohamed Ould Khaled in the Moroccan capital Rabat signed a memorandum of understanding for the electrical connection between the two countries.
Mauritania is classified among the most expensive electricity prices in the region, and seeks to reduce the cost by importing energy and securing some of its electricity needs by linking with Morocco.
It is expected that Mauritania will benefit from Morocco’s experience in electrical production, especially as it covers all its regions with electricity, and seeks to produce 52% of its needs via renewable energy by 2030.
