bp today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Mauritania, under which it will implement an innovative programme to explore the potential for large-scale production of green hydrogen in the country. Building on bp’s strong relationship with the country, this agreement could be an important step towards developing significant green hydrogen production in Mauritania.

The MoU was signed today, during a meeting on the sidelines of COP27, by the President of Mauritania, His Excellency Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, HE Abdessalam Ould Mohamed Saleh, Minister of Petroleum, Mines and Energy of the Government of Mauritania, Bernard Looney, CEO of bp, Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, Executive Vice President of bp for Gas and Low Carbon Energy, Gordon Birrell, Executive Vice President of bp for Production and Operations, and Emil Ismayilov, Senior Vice President of bp for Mauritania and Senegal.

Under the agreement, bp will conduct a number of studies to assess the technical and commercial feasibility of producing green hydrogen in Mauritania. Green hydrogen is produced through the electrolysis of water, powered by renewable energy.

As a first step, the PB will conduct a data collection campaign with studies assessing the adequacy of wind and solar resources at selected sites for large-scale renewable energy production and green hydrogen production.

Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, bp’s executive vice president for gas and low carbon energy, said: “We are already developing one of the most innovative gas projects in the world with the support of the Mauritanian government.

We now intend to extend our partnership to low-carbon energy by exploring the potential of a world-leading green hydrogen project, which could place Mauritania at the forefront of the energy transition.

Together with the Mauritanian government, we will now work to understand how green hydrogen could best be delivered, applying our technical skills and expertise to help unlock the country’s clean energy potential.”

bp and Mauritania already have a long-standing relationship. bp and its partners, including Société mauritanienne des hydrocarbures (SMH), are currently working towards the completion of phase 1 of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) liquefied natural gas project.

The development of this innovative offshore project on the border of Mauritania and Senegal was approved in 2018. It is expected to produce around 2,3 million tonnes of LNG per year, with sufficient resources to support production for more than 20 years.

Earlier this year, bp also announced the signing of an exploration and production sharing contract for the BirAllah gas resource in Mauritania.

Hydrogen is one of bp’s five growth drivers for the energy transition. Globally, bp is working on a large and growing portfolio of options for the development of green and blue hydrogen projects in advantageous markets around the world, including developments in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, the Middle East, the US and Australia.

It recently acquired a 40,5% stake in the capital and operation of the Asian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH), which has the potential to become one of the largest renewable energy and green hydrogen hubs in the world.

bp press office, London: +44 (0)207 496 4076, bppress@bp.com