Ulaanbaatar-3 power station

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Ulaanbaatar-3 power station (III-р дулааны цахилгаан станц) is an operating power station of at least 50-megawatts (MW) in Ulaanbaatar, Khan Uul, Mongolia with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Ulaanbaatar Thermal Power Plant No. 3, Power Plant 3, 乌兰巴托市第三电厂扩容改造项目, ДЦС-3, CHP-3, 乌兰巴托第三电厂改扩建, ТЗЦ III.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Ulaanbaatar-3 power station	Ulaanbaatar, Khan Uul, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia	47.895556, 106.865055 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Unit 10, Unit 10 (old), Unit 11, Unit 11 (old), Unit 12, Unit 9: 47.895556, 106.865055

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	CHP	Start year
Unit 10	Announced	coal: subbituminous	50	subcritical	–	2027 (planned)
Unit 10 (old)	Cancelled	coal: subbituminous	125	unknown	–	–
Unit 11	Announced	coal: subbituminous	125	subcritical	yes	2027 (planned)
Unit 11 (old)	Cancelled	coal: subbituminous	125	unknown	–	–
Unit 12	Announced	coal: subbituminous	125	subcritical	yes	2027 (planned)
Unit 9	Operating	coal: subbituminous	50	subcritical	–	2014

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner	Parent
Unit 10	Thermal Power Plant-3 SSH Co [100%]	Thermal Power Plant-3 SSH Co [100.0%]
Unit 10 (old)	Thermal Power Plant-3 SSH Co [100%]	Thermal Power Plant-3 SSH Co [100.0%]
Unit 11	Thermal Power Plant-3 SSH Co [100%]	Thermal Power Plant-3 SSH Co [100.0%]
Unit 11 (old)	Thermal Power Plant-3 SSH Co [100%]	Thermal Power Plant-3 SSH Co [100.0%]
Unit 12	Thermal Power Plant-3 SSH Co [100%]	Thermal Power Plant-3 SSH Co [100.0%]
Unit 9	Thermal Power Plant-3 SSH Co [100%]	Thermal Power Plant-3 SSH Co [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): Baganuur and Shivee Ovoo coal mines

Background

The plant originally consisted of four 12 MW units and four 25 MW units commissioned in 1969. In 2000, the Asian Development Bank made a US$40 million loan to rehabilitate the plant and install pollution controls. Contractors included Marubeni of Japan. In 2014, a new 50 MW unit was added.

Additional renovations

On November 2021, Prime Minister of Mongolia L.Oyun-Erdene "became acquainted with the progress of winter preparation at thermal power plants." At the Plant No. 3, work was underway to increase the plant’s capacity by a reported 50 MW and renew the plant in phases, according to Minister of Energy N.Tavinbekh. With "three of four major works planned for this year already done," the extension was planned for completion by December 2021.

As of June 2022, there is not an apparent update on the status of the extension.

Heating Sector Improvement Project

Utilizing funding from the World Bank, the International Development Association, and the Government of Mongolia, a program called the Ulaanbaatar Heating Sector Improvement Project began implementation in May 2022. The project was scheduled from 2021 and 2025. Construction started at Thermal Power Plant-3. In reference to the project, the Minister of Energy stated: "The project’s implementation is expected to ensure the completion of the government’s mid-term program for the energy sector. More specifically, the project will create the technical capacity to have apartment complexes and facilities, that are planned to be built as part of the plans to redevelop district areas in the capital city, to be connected to central heating... Studies have found that it will become possible for about 10 thousand more households to be connected to the central heating system, and 347 MW of thermal power to be saved once the project is completed."

2016 Expansion Proposal

The 2016-2020 Economic Recovery Program of Mongolia, which was approved by Parliament in November 2016, stated as part of its power goals that "the capacity of the 3rd Thermal Power Plant" would be increased by 250 MW.

In 2017, the bid for the project was awarded to Hunan Industrial Equipment Installation Co, the same company doing the expansion of the Erdenet power station in Mongolia. The Ulaanbaatar 3 project entailed dismantling the existing 4 x 12 MW steam turbine generator sets and boilers in the power plant (Units 1-4), and building a 2 x 125 MW coal-fired thermal power plant units in the cleaned demolition area to expand the heating pipelines and power transmission lines. It was a "turnkey" project valued at US$414 million dollars.

The 2018 Mongolia Third National Communication to the UNFCCC stated the 250 MW expansion would be completed in 2019. However, satellite photos (e.g. 2016 to 2021 and 2021 to 2023) show no development.

With no known developments on the 2 x 125 MW proposal since October 2018, it appeared to be cancelled.

2021 Expansion Proposal

In 2021, it was reported that there were plans to "establish Ulaanbaatar’s Fifth Thermal Power Plant based on the infrastructure of the Third Thermal Power Plant. Minister of Energy N.Tavinbekh said, 'Most of the plant’s main infrastructure is becoming outdated. As the Third Thermal Power Plant was put into operation in 1966-1968, it is possible that the plant’s operations could come to a stop at any given moment.'"

In preliminary discussions for the 2022 Mongolia Economic Forum, the Ministry of Energy discussed 22 energy development projects in association with the New Revival Policy framework. This framework discussed six recovery areas, one of which is energy. Among these projects was a 400 MW expansion of the third Thermal Power Plant.

A March 2022 article quoted lawmaker B. Choijilsuren, who said: "of the 22 energy projects, only the most important ones need to be implemented". He proposed that the expansion of Thermal Power Plant No. 3 should be first.

The expansion project was also mentioned in an August 2022 article discussing Mongolian energy grid stability.

According to an article from January 2023 referencing a 300 MW expansion, if the expansion proceeded as planned, it was expected to be in operation in 2027. Another article from May 2023 describing a meeting among Members of Parliament mentioned increasing the capacity of TPP-3 to meet increased power consumption needs. Construction on the expansion was expected to begin in 2023.

As of July 2023, the reported total capacity of the expansion project varied among sources. In a July 2023 interview, Mongolia's Deputy Minister of Energy said that a 50 MW expansion was expected in 2028 and a 300 MW expansion was expected in 2030.

In October 2023, Mongolia and Russia held a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission of Trade, Economy, Science and Technology Cooperation to discuss jointly implementing the Ulaanbaatar-3 power station expansion project.

As of June 2024, Planet satellite imagery did not appear to show construction had begun.

In September 2024, the governments of Mongolia and Russia signed an agreement on the design of the expansion project. According to the agreement, the expansion would include a 50 MW unit first, followed by two 125 MW units. The older 4 x 12 MW units would be demolished and the new 2 x 125 MW units would be built on their foundation. Russia’s Ministry of Energy and Inter RAO Export would reportedly collaborate on the project, with Inter RAO as the contractor. Some Members of Parliament had reportedly been critical of the project and draft agreement, saying the agreement reflected Russian demands more than Mongolian laws.

While some sources indicated that Inter RAO had previously completed an initial feasibility study on a proposed expansion in 2022, other sources reported that a feasibility study was expected to follow the 2024 agreement.

The Ulaanbaatar-5 power station wiki page provides additional information about the original proposal for the plant.

Financing

The total budgeted cost of the project of the revised 300MW expansion was estimated at 1.37 billion euros (1.40 billion euros including VAT) according to the feasibility study prepared by the Russian Inter RAO Export in 2022. 15% of the financing, or 199 million euros, will be provided by Mongolia and 85% or 1.28 billion would be financed by the Russian "export" loan.

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.