The map of clean energy in sub-Saharan Africa has entered a phase of accelerated corporate structuring. The Ministry of Energy and Oil of Mauritania has completed in Nouakchott the validation of its new framework for competitive bidding for green hydrogen and its derivatives, an initiative that has the financial and technical support of the African Development Bank (AfDB) through the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA). The establishment of this regulatory framework provides the African country with the necessary institutional and legal instruments to transform its strategic ambitions into bankable projects, attracting flows of international private capital towards the large-scale production of ammonia and green steel.
The consolidation of this energy ecosystem on the Mauritanian coast projects a direct economic impact on the port facilities of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, consolidating their position as advanced service centers in the Central Atlantic. Mauritania lacks the heavy industrial infrastructure, ship repair yards, specialized workshops, and complex supply chains essential to support the construction and the daily maintenance of future hydrogen generation complexes. The Canary Islands’ port terminals are prepared to absorb the logistics demand arising from these megaprojects, operating as a base of operations for engineering contracts, storage of critical components, and transshipment platforms for goods.
The bureaucratic environment in the Canary Islands is worse than that of Mauritania
The roadmap validated by the public institutions in Mauritania sets a production target of 12.5 million tons per year of low-carbon hydrogen by 2035. Achieving this export volume requires the massive deployment of wind farms and photovoltaic solar plants in the desert, a technical challenge that will demand consulting services, maritime inspection, and technological support that the Canary Islands’ business fabric can preferably provide based on geographical proximity. The AfDB’s technical assistance program has trained senior officials from African ministries in auction design, hydrogen center planning, and financial risk allocation to ensure the viability of public contracts against foreign investors.
The development of this new industry on the African continent alters traditional fuel transportation flows and redefines the maritime bunkering business in the island ports. The proximity of the green ammonia production sources in Mauritania will facilitate access for the Canary terminals to decarbonized energy vectors for supplying international commercial fleets, a crucial market advantage in light of the emission reduction requirements imposed by the European Union. The conversion of Nouakchott into a global energy hub positions the archipelago as the essential strategic partner for channeling financial investments and operational support for the energy transition of the northwestern African flank.
The strength of this institutional deployment has been reinforced by the participation of key state corporations such as the Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière and the Société Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures, coordinating the areas of ports and environment. This alignment of stakeholders reduces the risks of administrative paralysis and streamlines the management of public land allocated for the concessions of energy conversion plants into fuels. The procurement market structured by the African Development Bank lays the groundwork for a pioneering model of competitive contracting that will transform the industrial profile of the region, turning the maritime corridor between the Canary Islands and the continent into a priority logistical axis for the supply of sustainable raw materials to the main consumption centers of the European continent.
