• Mauritania’s SOMELEC signs 3-year power plant deal with Wärtsilä
  
• Agreement ensures Nouadhibou plant performance, expands previous technical support contract
  
• Deal aims to improve grid stability amid frequent blackouts in key cities

Mauritania's national electricity company SOMELEC signed a three-year performance guarantee agreement with Finnish energy technology firm Wärtsilä for the 34 MW Nouadhibou power plant, the Finnish firm announced on Friday.

The contract expands the scope of the partners' previous agreement, which covered only technical assistance, to now include asset performance assurance. Wärtsilä recorded the order in the third quarter of 2025.

The Nouadhibou plant, equipped with two Wärtsilä 32 and two Wärtsilä 46 engines, supplies a key portion of the power for the country's economic capital and contributes to national grid stability. Under the new agreement, Wärtsilä will provide operational support with three technical advisors and a storekeeper on site, plus remote monitoring from its Expertise Centre. The company will also perform unplanned maintenance, major overhauls every 12,000 hours, and supply spare parts for the engines, auxiliaries and safety components.

"Ensuring reliable electricity supply is essential for Mauritania’s growth," said Khroumbali Lehbib, SOMELEC's director general. "By expanding our partnership with Wärtsilä at our power plant in Nouadhibou, we are strengthening the stability of the national grid and ensuring both long-term operational excellence and the plant’s future performance."

Mauritania's electricity access rate is about 55%, slightly above the average in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, Nouadhibou and Nouakchott, the country's two main cities, face recurring blackouts that affect households and economic activity. Authorities have announced several measures intended to strengthen the continuity of electrical service and improve the performance of existing infrastructure. The signing of this agreement falls within this immediate context, with a goal of securing and optimizing existing production.

Abdoullah Diop