The Standing Committee on the Economy yesterday discussed two energy-related issues before deciding to send them to Parliament for discussion. The first of these was the location of the fifth power station. The Mayor’s Office wants it to be built near the Uliastain bridge in Bayanzurkh district. Since that is a drinking water source for the city, some felt it would make more sense to build it near the Baganuur mining area while others favored a site near the third power station. Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy D.Zorigt said the new plant would be built with USD2 million from the Asian Development Bank and the final location will be announced in February, 2011 after further studies.   

The other issue was electricity price. There are 340,000 households using electricity in the country, 64% of which consume less than 150 units in a month. They pay less but some members felt this principle is against the market economy where discounts should be offered to big consumers. The state support should go to those who use energy to be productive. There was demand for setting electricity rates according to market rates, withdrawing all subsidy, so that the energy sector can be self-sufficient.