Mongolia to build its first waste-to-energy power plant

According to the Governor’s Office of the Capital City, Ulaanbaatar generates around 1.5 million tons of waste annually, of which only about 25 percent is recycled. Therefore, for the first time in Mongolia, a modern waste incineration power plant meeting international standards will be built under a public-private partnership.

The plant will be constructed on a 10-hectare site in Morin Davaa, Khan-Uul District, and will have the capacity to incinerate 1,500 tons of waste per day, or 1.5 million tons annually, generating 35 megawatts of electricity. The private partner selected for the project is Sichuan Energy Investment Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Investment Co., Ltd.

As part of the project, waste that has been buried over the past five years will be collected and incinerated, and the surrounding environment will be rehabilitated. Construction is expected to be completed in two years.

Once operational, the waste-to-energy plant will incinerate 31.8 percent of the city’s waste, helping reduce air pollution, supply electricity to 2,333 households in the ger districts, and lower annual emissions by 106,100 tons of carbon dioxide. In addition, the project will create new jobs, rehabilitate landfill areas, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing waste disposal sites.

As written before, Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev entrusted the authorities of Astana with accelerating the construction of a solid waste processing plant.