MONGOLIA – STRATEGIC HEATING PLAN AS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE GREEN TRANSITION
By Lars Gullev, Senior Consultant, VEKS
Focus on CO2 reduction and a green transition away from fossil fuels is at the top of the agenda worldwide. This also applies in the large but sparsely populated country of Mongolia. A country with very hot summers, frigid winters, and over 80% of gross energy consumption in 2021 was based on local coal.
developed a detailed SHP covering the city of Ulaanbaatar to leverage the existing DH network by utilizing locally available RE heat sources and renewable electricity from solar and wind. A comparative heating system assessment was conducted for Ulaanbaatar as the major city and an exemplary case study for heat demand in Mongolia. The assessment involved the formulation and evaluation of three scenarios: Reference 2020 scenario The Reference 2020 scenario represents the existing heating structure in Mongolia. Heat demand is split into DH demand and individual household demand. DH demand includes space heating and hot water demand in buildings and spatial heat demand by industry. Individual heat demand includes heat demand and domestic hot water for detached single- family homes and tents in the Ger areas in Ulaanbaatar.
This article, based on the report “Renewable Energy Solutions for Heating Systems in Mongolia - Developing a Strategic Heating Plan, 2023,” prepared by IRENA, gives an insight into the energy and climate challenges Mongolia currently faces in the green transition. At the same time, recommendations are also given on how renewable energy (RE) can be implemented in the district heating (DH) sector. The strategic heating plan indicates that it’s possible to reduce the emission of CO2 by up to 93% in 2050 compared to the present level - a challenging task but not impossible. What is a Strategic heating Plan (SHP)? A strategic heating plan (SHP) is a techno-economic assessment that shows how municipalities, districts, cities, or countries can transform their heat supply from fossil-based sources by integrating RE resources. In the case of Mongolia, IRENA
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