Promoting renewable energies in Mongolia

Content

Due to its domestic reserves, Mongolia has so far mainly relied on coal to generate electricity and heat. Demand for energy is growing steadily: demand for electricity grew by 5.8 per cent in 2022. However, the country is not investing enough in maintenance and network expansion. This presents the Mongolian energy system with major challenges in terms of energy security, meaning that it has to develop new generation capacity.

Staff in public institutions in the electricity sector have a great deal of experience with fossil-fuelled power plants. However, they lack knowledge of renewable energies. This delays decision-making enabling the use of renewable energies. There is a lack of trained specialists who can modernise the electricity grid and continue to operate it in a stable manner.

In addition, Mongolia’s power grid is outdated and controlled inefficiently. It can currently absorb only a limited amount of electricity from renewable energies.

Objective

Officials in the education sector and the energy industry are able to integrate environmentally friendly energy solutions into the Mongolian energy system.

Approach

The project operates in the following areas of action:

- It provides expert advice to selected stakeholders in the energy sector on identifying the potential of decentralised renewable energy systems, financing, using and regulating these energy systems, and configuring tariffs.

- It is developing a strategy to provide electricity and heat entirely from renewable energies.

- It advises and supports school and company training institutions in developing a gender-sensitive, dual curriculum for high-voltage technicians that includes integrating renewable energies into the grid.