Mauritania Grid Code: 17 applicants for electricity network rules

Mauritania is preparing a regulatory instrument intended to shape the development of its electricity system: the national Grid Code. Société mauritanienne d’électricité (SOMELEC) has received 17 expressions of interest from firms seeking to assist with its preparation. The official opening record names a consortium comprising EDF, Nodalis and IRAF, as well as RTE International. At this stage, these are applications for a consulting assignment, not the award of a contract.

The number of submissions reflects interest in an assignment at the intersection of electrical engineering, regulation and the integration of new generation capacity. The official document consulted names the 17 applicants but does not mention Suez. The competition should therefore be described using this verifiable list: EDF and RTE are among the applicants, while Suez’s participation is not established by the opening record.

Common rules for a changing network

A Grid Code sets the technical conditions that installations connected to the network must meet. It specifies requirements for electricity generation, transmission and distribution, connection procedures, data exchanges, safety obligations and responses to incidents. It is more than an internal operating manual: the code governs technical relationships between the network operator, generators and other users.

Mauritania has already launched several projects that make this framework increasingly necessary. The Mauritania–Mali electricity interconnection project includes a 225-kilovolt high-voltage line and associated solar power plants. Construction contracts were signed in 2026 for sections of the line and substations. As the network expands and new generation facilities emerge, operating rules must maintain stability and the quality of supply.

The code must also account for the characteristics of renewable energy. Solar output varies with sunlight; large-scale integration requires rules for forecasting, control, reserves and coordination with other generation sources. Storage and cross-border interconnections add further coordination challenges. A clear framework can facilitate the entry of independent power producers, provided the rules are predictable and consistently applied.

Ten months to develop an applicable framework

The assignment announced by SOMELEC is funded through the interconnection project supported by the African Development Bank. Its planned duration is ten months after notification, excluding the time required to approve deliverables. It must cover an assessment of the legal and technical framework, a review of network operations, analysis of interconnections and drafting of rules, with stakeholder consultations.

The selection process will compare applicants’ track records, methods and expertise. The submissions named in the opening record include engineering firms, energy consultants and consortia involving partners from several countries. International participants may bring comparative experience, but the code must be adapted to local realities: institutional capacity, data availability, network structure and oversight resources.

Drafting alone will not suffice. To have an effect, the text must be approved by the competent authorities, understood by operators and supported by implementation mechanisms. Rules for connecting a power plant, for example, must be applicable using accessible data and procedures. An overly theoretical code risks remaining a reference document without changing practices.

An investment issue as well as a technical one

The future Grid Code could help clarify investment conditions in the electricity sector. Generators need to understand connection requirements and responsibilities when interruptions occur; the network operator needs tools to preserve system balance. Consumers depend on reliable infrastructure and the ability to manage growing demand.

The quality of the outcome will be judged by its consistency with existing legislation and ongoing projects, particularly the interconnection with Mali. Coordination must also be ensured between SOMELEC, the regulator, ministries and generators. The aim is not to mechanically import a foreign model, but to select proven standards and translate them into an operational framework for Mauritania.

Receiving 17 submissions is a first step. It shows competitive interest in the assignment but does not determine either the final selection or the adoption of the code. The most important decision comes next: turning the chosen firm’s expertise into stable, understandable rules capable of supporting interconnections, solar power and the network’s day-to-day security.

Transparency around the selection stages and subsequent consultation on the draft text will also help generators and users understand their respective obligations.