Nationwide infrastructure development under way in Mongolia

Here is brief information for our readers regarding the development projects that are to be completed within 2013 and to begin in 2014 according to Undesnii Shuudan Newspaper.

Energy
Salkhit wind farm

The 50-megawatt Salkhit wind farm, currently under construction at Salkhit Mountain in Sergelen Soum of Tuv Province, was originally planned to go operational in April 2013, but the launch was delayed a bit. Now, a total of 31 turbines in the wind farm have been assembled and the first 10 turbines have recently gone operational. According to engineers, the wind turbines will run in shifts based on their capacities. The wind farm is set to supply five percent of the central region’s power consumption which is equivalent to 100,000 households.

Expanding capacity of Fourth Thermal Power Plant by 100 megawatts

The government has issued a decree in both 2012 and 2013 to allocate 70 million USD for the project to expand the capacity of Fourth Thermal Power Plant (TPP4). In accordance with these decrees, the first of the financing which is five percent of the total budget of the project has been paid to a heavy industry plant in Yekaterinburg, Russia. A steam turbine has also already been ordered.

Regarding the matter, Vice-Director of TPP4 B.Tseveen said, “Russian officials reported to us that 60 percent of the steam turbine manufacturing has been completed as of June 24. The turbine is expected to expand the capacity of TPP4 by 100 megawatts. The first set of the turbine parts will arrive in Mongolia by October. Until then, we will relieve the space inside our plant and prepare it for installing the turbine. As soon as the parts arrive, we will start the assembly.”

Amgalan Thermal Power Plant

Amgalan Thermal Power Plant is set to be constructed next to the US-15 state-owned heating furnace at Bayanzurkh District. The plant will have a capacity to supply heating to over 20,000 households in the east side of Ulaanbaatar. Construction of the plant is planned to begin within 2013. But land problems are now likely to delay the construction as approximately 35 billion MNT is required to relocate the households and business entities around the US-15 and relieve the land for plant construction. Unless the government resolves this case soonest, the plant’s construction may not begin this year.

Fifth Thermal Power Plant and thermal power plant at Tavantolgoi

Companies such as Sojits of Japan, GDF of France, Posko of Korea, and Newcom Group of Mongolia have proposed to construct the Fifth Thermal Power Plant (TPP5). According to the contract, TPP5 will go operational by 2016. The plant will produce 415 megawatts of electricity and 587 megawatts of heating, supplying 50 percent of Ulaanbaatar’s power consumption. A technical and economic assessment as well as other relevant studies is supposed to be done this year.

As for the thermal power plant at Tavantolgoi, M.Enkhsaikhan, who is in charge of its establishment, reported, “We have proposed to many foreign companies to construct the fifth plant. We are now studying the proposals we received. Companies to conduct the assessment and other calculations will be selected within July and they will start their work soon after.”

Road and construction

This year, six provinces including Dornod, Dundgovi, Dornogovi, Umnugovi, Bayankhongor, and Khuvsgul will be linked to Ulaanbaatar with paved roads. Today, all tenders are concluded and executor companies for the road construction have been selected. Some have already started while some others are transporting the equipment required for constructing roads in the provinces. Only a Korean company which is building the road between Khuvsgul and Ulaanbaatar has reported to the Ministry of Road and Transportation that it cannot open the road within 2013 as planned. The issue will be discussed at the government meeting next Saturday.

45 intersections to be redone

The Ministry of Economic Development is currently implementing the “Street” project and, as part of it, a total of 45 auto road intersections in Ulaanbaatar will be redone this year. As of today, the intersection in front of Urgoo Cinema and traffic circle of Sapporo is already a four-way intersection. The intersections at Dari Ekh and Sansar will also be redone. Minister of Economic Development N.Batbayar pledged that, in this pace, one redone intersection will go operational every week.

New railway

The first ever project to be financed by the Chinggis Bond was “New Railway” with the aim to build a 1,800-km railway within 2016. Minister of Road and Transportation A.Gansukh said, “Currently, the construction of railway in the route of Tavan Tolgoi-Gashuun Sukhait has already started.”

Plants

Oil processing plants

The Prime Minister said, “The construction of two oil processing plants – Darkhan Oil Processing Plant and Choir Oil Processing Plant – will begin in 2013.” They will open doors in 2016 and they will be able to produce two million tons of products per year.

Cement plant

The cement Plant in Khutul mines 650,000 tons of chalk a year and produces 500,000 tons of cement. The plant upgraded its technology and started manufacturing dry products. Apart from that, the MAK company is jointly building a cement plant in cooperation with a Chinese company. Its construction has already started at Khukh Tsav and it will go operational in the spring of 2014. The plant will manufacture one million tons of cement.

Khushigt Valley and Khanbogd international airport

The construction of an international airport at Khushigt Valley began in April this year and it will be operational from October 2016. Construction design was formulated by the Japanese Azusa Sekkei and Oriental Consulting companies. Mitsubishi Chiyoda will construct the airport. Mongolia is financing the construction with a 40-year soft loan. The airport is able to provide service for three million passengers. Apart from it, Khanbumbat Airport will be built at Khanbogd Soum of Umnugovi Province. It will be 3,250 meters in length and 45 meters high.