Mauritania’s new energy and petroleum minister, Mohamed Ould Abdel Vetah, takes charge of a sector shifting from gas exports to domestic power, as the country turns to private producers for new plants.
Vetah was appointed on October 10 in a 29-member government formed after Prime Minister El Moctar Ould Djay’s cabinet resigned over a report into two fires at energy facilities in Nouakchott, Financial Afrik reported. Ould Djay was reappointed the same day.
Who is Mauritania’s new energy minister?
Vetah returns to a portfolio he held as minister of petroleum, energy and mines from 2016 to 2020, when Mauritania and Senegal signed the gas sales agreement for the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project with bp and Kosmos Energy. He previously ran state gas company SOMAGAZ and most recently spent nearly four years as high commissioner of the Organisation for the Development of the Senegal River.
On October 16 he was received in Dakar by Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and pledged to deepen cooperation between the two countries, according to a statement from Energy Capital & Power, which organises the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power conference in Dakar on December 1 to 3, where Vetah is due to speak.
What are Mauritania’s gas and power plans?
Mauritania has exported liquefied natural gas since early 2025, when GTA shipped its first cargo, and the project is now operating at full capacity, the statement said. The government wants gas to supply domestic power too: national utility Somelec and state miner SNIM have signed power purchase agreements with Saudi Arabia’s TAQA and Egypt’s GoGas Holding under a gas-to-power programme linked to the Banda field and targeted for 2028.
The country has committed to a model in which independent power producers build all new plants. Two gas-fired projects in development are expected to add 550 megawatts, and a 220MW solar and wind plant with 370 megawatt-hours of battery storage is due to start commercial production in the final quarter of 2026, according to the statement.
What challenges does he face?
The minister’s first test is the reliability of electricity supply at home, after the Nouakchott fires that brought down the previous government, Financial Afrik reported. He must also keep investment flowing into gas and renewables, as Mauritania competes with neighbours for capital highlighted at African Energy Week and deepens ties with partners including the EU, with which it is renewing a fisheries agreement.
FAQ
Who is Mauritania’s energy minister?
Mohamed Ould Abdel Vetah was appointed minister of energy and petroleum on October 10 2026. He held a similar post from 2016 to 2020.
What is the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project?
GTA is a gas project shared by Mauritania and Senegal, developed with bp and Kosmos Energy. It shipped its first LNG cargo in early 2025.
How much new power is Mauritania adding?
Two gas-fired plants are expected to add 550MW, and a 220MW solar and wind plant with battery storage is due online in late 2026.
