Mongolia’s Prime Minister, Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh reportedly commissioned a 15-MW solar power plant, the country’s second operational photovoltaic (PV) facility, and the largest to date. The plant is situated in the Economic Development Zone of Zamyn-Üüd, in Dornogovi province in southeastern Mongolia.
The Dornogovi plant is 50% larger than the country’s other solar facility, a 10-MW project in the northern Mongolian city of Darkhan. It was built by a Japanese consortium formed by Shigemitsu Shoji Co. Ltd. (Head office: Kanazawa City, Ishikawa), a trading company handling textiles, and electronics supplier and module manufacturer, Sharp Corporation (Head office: Sakai City, Osaka) in partnership with the Mongolian company, Solar Tech LLC. The plant came online in January 2018 and was built with PV components resistant to the extreme weather conditions prevalent in the country. The plant is expected to generate around 32 million kWh per year.
Meanwhile, the country is developing quite a few solar projects, including a 30-MW facility backed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and other investors inclusive of FMO Dutch Development Bank and Triodos Investment Management. Furthermore, the Sainshand Solar Power Park is being developed by Mongolian company, Desert Solar Power-One, and will be built by eCap Solutions, a German company that has to its credit the building of over 600 MW of solar projects worldwide. Meanwhile, according to the Chinese news agency, Xinhua another 20-MW solar park is being developed in Dornogovi, set for completion by the year-end.
Towards its endeavour of reducing its reliance on old coal-fired power stations, Mongolia is using solar. The country implemented a feed-in-tariff (FIT) scheme over the past year, which resulted in allocating around 200-MW of solar and 450-MW wind power capacity. However, according to the World Bank, these arrangements were made without proper consideration of the power grid’s ability to absorb variable power. In conclusion, the World Bank reiterated that the licensed developers have difficulties establishing their plants, which has left most licenses in limbo.
