ADB Launches Grid-Connected Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant in Altai City, Mongolia

GOVI-ALTAI — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Mongolia has inaugurated a 10-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant in Govi-Altai province.

The new plant, Serven, will provide about 20 million kilowatt-hour energy annually and is estimated to cut 15,000 tons of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emission per year during its lifetime. The power plant is financed by ADB’s Upscaling Renewable Energy Sector Project which supports 41-megawatts of distributed renewable energy systems through subprojects that will supply clean electricity and heat in the less-developed region of western Mongolia.

“About 10% of our country’s territory is suitable for wind energy use. Covering more than 70% of the total territory, the steppe and Gobi Desert has a long duration of sunshine and vast reserves of clean energy, so it can be used to meet the energy consumption of the region. Serven solar power plant proves this,” said Mongolia Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai. “By using this advantage, Mongolia has the full potential to get out of energy dependence and expand its economy.”

“The new solar power plant will contribute to Mongolia’s transition to cleaner energy by advancing the country’s efforts to expand renewables,” said ADB Country Director for Mongolia Shannon Cowlin. “In addition to providing secure power supply to rural areas in the western region, the solar power plant will improve public health and resource usage by reducing air pollution and water usage.”

The project was approved in September 2018 with loan financing from ADB and grant cofinancing from the Strategic Climate Fund and the Japan Fund for the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JFJCM). The JFJCM is an ADB trust fund that aims to provide financial incentives for the adoption of advanced low-carbon technologies in ADB-financed and administered sovereign and nonsovereign projects.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.