MONGOLIAN WIND PARK IS ONLINE
Sainshand Salkhin Park LCC has been connected to the national grid in Mongolia. The 25 Vestas installed wind turbines have a total capacity of 55 MW and are now feeding in renewable energy equivalent to the consumption of 100,000 households. The potential reduction of CO2 emissions is more than 200,000 tons annually.
Approximately 450 km outside Ulaanbaatar in the Gobi Desert a new wind park has been erected. The Sainshand Salkhin Park LCC consists of 25 V110 Vestas wind turbines and has a total capacity of 55 MW.
The wind park was connected to the national grid in September and is now feeding in renewable energy to the national grid equivalent to the consumption of 100,000 households. Together with other energy developments the wind park will enable the Dornogobi aimag province to supply cities like Sainshand and Zamiin Uud with renewable energy and exporting surplus to the South-Gobi grid.
Reduces CO2 emissions
The opening celebration was attended by representatives of the Mongolian government, parliament members, the German Ambassador, representatives of the French Embassy, lenders, investors and other major stakeholders of the project.
The potential reduction of CO2 emissions by the project is more than 200,000 tons annually and is thus supporting the Mongolian ambition that renewable energy should count for 20 per cent of all energy consumption by 2020 and for 30 per cent in 2030. Today, seven per cent of installed power-generation capacity in Mongolia comes from renewables, mostly hydropower.
– We are very pleased to have contributed to the financing of the Sainshand Salkhin wind park, because it is a project that will benefit the people of Mongolia as well as the climate, said Torben Huss, acting CEO of the Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU).
Built in just one year
The project was constructed with in just one year from financial closing and two months ahead of schedule. In total, around 400 workers – of which 95 per cent were Mongolians – have been involved in the project, and during construction 700,000 man-hours were registered without any lost time incidents.
The Sainshand Salkhin wind park was developed in consultation with the local communities and a comprehensive environmental and social impact assessment has been conducted ensuring for example that the local nomads were not negatively impacted.
– It is quite impressive that it has been achievable to build the wind park at this speed in a remote location like the Gobi-Desert, and we are very satisfied with the outcome, said Torben Huss.
The Danish Climate Investment Fund has contributed with funding
The Sainshand Salkhin Park LCC is only the third privately financed wind farm in the country and has been developed by the German Ferrostaal GmbH in cooperation with the world-leading French energy company Engie. The total investment of USD 120 million has been financed by a number of European investors and lenders including the EKF, Denmark’s Export Credit Agency. The Danish Climate Investment Fund, which is a public-private partnership managed by IFU, has contributed USD 17 million in share capital.
