CWP pens $40bn hydrogen deal with Mauritania

Renewables developer CWP Global has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mauritania's government which it says could unlock up to $40bn in green hydrogen development.

The Aman project envisages the development of up to 30 GW of solar and wind power supply for electrolysers in Mauritania, CWP said in a statement on May 28. This would establish the northwest African state as a major hydrogen exporter, the company said.

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"We are pleased to have the confidence and support of the Mauritanian government for the development of this ambitious project, which will create a stable export vector and generate thousands of new jobs in construction, local manufacturing, operations and export facilitation," CWP founder and chairman Mark Crandall said in a statement on May 28. "The project will have a transformative effect on the Mauritanian economy, generating billions of dollars in export and providing access to inexpensive electricity and water for the population and economy."

The solar and wind plants would be built at a 8,500-km³ area of desert in north Mauritania, CWP said, collectively forming the "world's biggest renewable energy project." 

Mauritania's minister of petroleum, Abdelsalam Mohamed Saleh, said Mauritania "had put the exploitation of of its immense renewable resources as a top priority in line with commitment of his excellency the President of the Republic to promote accelerated, sustainable, and equitable economic growth for all the people of Mauritania."

CWP described Mauritania as one of the best places to produce low-cost green hydrogen. If the hydrogen energy market takes off, a likely destination for the country's supplies would be Europe. The EU has said hydrogen could account for as much as 20% of its energy mix by 2050 and that imports will be needed to cover a shortfall in local supply.