A deal to build a “globally significant” green ammonia plant has been signed between Poland’s Hynfra, Mauritania company Mauritania Green Ammonia (MGA) and the government of Mauritania.
Confirmation of the $1.5bn project, which is expected to deliver 100,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually from 2030, follows the signing last year of a memorandum of understanding. The facility will be in the southern zone of the Somelec wind farm near the capital Nouakchott.
Tomoho Umeda, General Director of MGA and President of Hynfra, said the north-west African country’s combination of high solar potential and strong, stable winds gives it some of the best conditions in the world for developing renewable energy, with commercial estimates totalling 400GW.
“Combined with a century of Polish experience in ammonia synthesis, this creates a unique opportunity to build a project of global significance,” he said.
“All this is possible thanks to the vision of the Mauritanian government and its Hydrogen Code, adopted in 2024, which is among the most advanced in the world.”
The export of green ammonia will be through the country’s largest port, Port de l’Amitié in Nouakchott.
The aim of the project is to build an integrated installation for the production of green ammonia based on local renewable resources. However, current electricity production relies heavily on fossil fuels.
The investment will include photovoltaic and wind farms, electrolyser installations, the green ammonia plant and supporting infrastructure including water desalination plants, energy storage, and export port.
The signed agreement positions Hynfra among the group of global companies such as TotalEnergies, Masdar, Chariot, and GM Hydrogen, that are also developing similar projects in Mauritania. Another key project includes the 30GW Aman green hydrogen project in partnership with CWP Global, which targets up to 10 million tonnes of ammonia.
The green ammonia produced by MGA will supply local industrial and community needs as well as Europe.
The project is targeting front end engineering design in 2027 or 2028, ahead of a potential 2030 launch.
