Mongolia's economic boom has been built on the vast coal reservesthat lie under its seemingly endless steppes, but it is turning to wind topower itself and fight the pollution that chokes Ulan Bator. The Mongoliancapital is ranked the planet's second most polluted city by the World HealthOrganization, largely due to its coal-fired power stations and residentsburning the substance to keep warm in winter, when temperatures can plummet toa punishing minus 30 degrees Celsius. But in Salkhit, around 70 kilometres to the southeast, 10 pylons risefrom the ground, the first stage of a 31-turbine, 50 megawatt wind farm itsbackers hope will start a national drive to harness cleaner energy.
The $120 million project may appear incongruous in a countrysaid to have more than $1 trillion worth of untapped resources underground,especially coal, but Mongolia's windy steppes could offer an endless supply ofpower. The concept also connects with deeply-rooted elements of Mongolianculture -- Genghis Khan's warriors used to worship the Eternal Blue Sky."We have a longstanding tradition of being environmentally friendly inMongolia," said Bayanjargal Byambasaikhan, CEO of Mongolian investmentfirm Newcom, which is backing the wind farm. "We are a nomadic people,people who move from one place to another and take with us all our waste andbelongings," he added.
Once operational the farm at Salkhit, or "WindyMountain" in Mongolian, will supply five percent of the country's currentelectricity needs -- and his ambitious plans aim to increase wind capacityseveral times over. But he has faced scepticism along the way. " Why wouldyou invest in wind power in Mongolia, a country which has an abundance of coalresources? But I am advocating clean energy, because Mongolia has one of thebest resources in the world in terms of wind."
Ulan Bator's one million residents will be among the firstto benefit from the new energy source, according to Byambasaikhan, who says theSalkhit project will reduce demand for coal by 175,000 tonnes a year. In UlanBator, the city's three coal-fired power plants are one of the main causes."In the winter, the air in Ulan Bator is really nasty. You cannot see for100 metres in the worst times," said Kirk Olson, an environmentalist whohas worked in Mongolia for 12 years. "When you fly out of there you see thisbig grey, impenetrable fog in the valley. People are burning garbage and usingbanned diesel. There are big power stations pumping pollution into theair."
The US-backed Millennium Challenge Corporation aid agencyhas backed a $45 million project it says has cut fuel costs by 30 percent in70,000 households, and the Mongolian government launched a range of measures,including taxing inefficient cars.
But even Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorjacknowledged that piecemeal measures will only have a minimal impact. "Forthe first time last year we had an anti-pollution law that ensures we are notencouraging those who are polluting the environment and creating smoke,"he said.
Olson said the issue was "much bigger" than thegovernment recognised. "It is not just about people burning garbage in theger districts. It is not just about the police pulling over a car with bluediesel coming out of the exhaust. "There has been nothing that reallytackles it.”
