Abu Dhabi’s Masdar has completed its second solar power project in Mauritania, doubling the amount of power the UAE provides to the African nation, the clean energy company said on Sunday.

Masdar, working with the national utility provider Societe Mauritanienne d’Electricite (Somelec), will meet up to 30 per cent of the demand for rural communities with eight individual solar photovoltaic (PV) plants.

“The eight projects bring economic and social benefits to Mauritania, providing opportunities for training and knowledge exchange and creating the foundations for long-term growth and development to the local community,” said Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE Minister of State and chairman of Masdar, in a statement.

Diversifying the country’s energy mix is important to free up its expensive import bill.

The Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) said fossil fuel accounted for 66 per cent of the main energy consumption, which forced Mauritania to spend nearly US$546 million on petroleum product imports in 2008.

“Our drive to implement a ser­ies of ambitious wind, hydroelectric and solar power projects will contribute significantly to growing the share of renewables in Mauritania’s future energy mix,” said Mohamed Abdul ­Fattah, Mauritania’s energy ­minister.

Combined with Masdar’s first 15MW solar PV project, these two projects will provide electricity to about 39,000 homes.

lgraves@thenational.ae

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