Mongolia is to ban the burning of low-grade coal in households in the capital Ulaanbaatar from April 2019, MP D.Khayankhyarvaa, said, as the country tries to curb toxic air pollution. Ulaanbaatar is officially the coldest capital in the world and residents are forced to burn coal as temperatures plunge below minus 40 Celsius in winter. The bulk of the air pollution comes from the sprawling ‘ger districts’ which encircle the city; most of the households can only afford the cheapest coal to keep warm – this, naturally, produces the most acrid smoke.

The parliamentary group of the Mongolian People’s Party has informed that the coal supply to Ulaanbaatar will be banned from April, 2019. The Government is to support the establishment of an innovative coal processing plant.

Furthermore, Mongolia is planning to finance construction projects in Ulaanbaatar using a South Korean USD 500 million soft loan. Seoul has agreed to upgrade Ulaanbaatar’s number III and IV power stations.