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Nouakchott (Solar)

Solar power plant in Nouakchott, Mauritania. Approximate location 18.1528, -15.9842.

SolarNouakchottMauritaniaAssumed PV

Nouakchott (Solar) is a 30 MW solar power plant in Nouakchott, Mauritania. It is operated by Mauritanian Electricity Co [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 13k homes (estimated). It ranks #5 of 8 Mauritania power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 7.7% of Mauritania's electricity; the national grid averages 512 gCO₂/kWh (22.7% low-carbon) (2024).

30Legacy source-record capacity
12,764homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023108.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNouakchott (Solar) WRI
CountryMauritania · Nouakchott WRI
Coordinates18.1528, -15.9842 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity30 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerMauritanian Electricity Co [100%] WRI
TechnologyAssumed PV WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#5 of 8 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 2 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent12,764 calculated
Climate25.4°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 59/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

Technically it is described as Assumed PV. Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest solar plants in Mauritania

Nouakchott (Solar): 30 MW30Nouakchott…Zouerate (Solar): 3 MW3Zouerate (…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Mauritanian Electricity Co [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 18.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

25.4°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,716cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
6 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 21 °CJF: 23 °CFM: 24 °CMA: 24 °CAM: 26 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 29 °CSO: 29 °CON: 25 °CND: 22 °CD29 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 1.5% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
59/100environmental-severity index
8.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
30 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1 largest solar power plant of 2 in Mauritania by capacity.

Mauritania has 2 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 33 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 18.1528, -15.9842 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Nouakchott (Solar)?

Nouakchott (Solar) is a 30 MW source-record solar power plant in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

How many homes can Nouakchott (Solar) power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 12,764 homes (estimated).

Who operates Nouakchott (Solar)?

Nouakchott (Solar) is operated by Mauritanian Electricity Co [100%].

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