April 19 – Beijing, China – Senior officials of the Ministry of Energy, the Energy Regulatory Commission, the General Agency for Specialized Inspection, and energy companies together with the GGGI Mongolia team members  attended knowledge sharing events and energy efficiency site visits on April 16-19, 2018 in Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

The objective of this knowledge sharing event was to build the capacity of decision and policy makers of ERC, and relevant large energy companies through knowledge and experience sharing of successful cases, focusing on energy efficiency and ESCO development and building on the large experience of China. The participants of the event are in position to advance ERC and the government’s use of energy efficiency for sustainable energy to help achieve tangible results by the end of 2018. This aligns well with the GoM efforts to demonstrate feasibility of the energy efficiency in Mongolia – 2018 was announced as a “Year of Energy Efficiency” by Mongolia’s Minister of Energy.

The GoM identified its policy on Energy Conservation and adopted the Law on Energy Conservation (2015) and the National Action Plan of the Energy Efficiency (NEEAP) in 2017. Within the framework of the implementation of the Law on Energy Conservation and other relevant legal acts, the ERC is aiming to develop cooperation between Mongolia and China on energy conservation, including possible investment to be made at the benefit of energy conservation and identify potential other areas of collaboration.

In addition to the Knowledge Sharing event, the ERC is looking forward to lay the foundations of a structured cooperation with relevant entities of Government of the PRC namely the National Energy Efficiency Center and EMCA. This could take the form of a MOU to be signed between the parties for further cooperation. GGGI Offices in China and Mongolia will be providing facilitation to such efforts.

Sustainable energy is the main engine for economic, social and sustainable development of Mongolia. Energy sector alone accounts for 60% of Mongolia’s GHG emissions – 95% of the energy is generated from fossil fuel resources. Energy efficiency for green growth has been increasingly on the global agenda.

In September 2016, Mongolia ratified its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in accordance with the Green Development Policy (2014) and its Action Plan (2016). Mongolia’s overall commitment is to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 14% by 2030 compared to Business-As-Usual (BAU). The Government of Mongolia (GoM) gives high priority to energy efficiency in reaching this targets and incorporates this agenda into major policy documents. In recent years, the long-waited Law on Energy Conservation (2015) and the National Energy Efficiency Action plan (2017).

The GGGI Mongolia team signed an MOU with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in 2017. ERC is one of the major counterparts of the GGGI Mongolia team in implementing the Sustainable Energy Program in the country, specifically in the area of energy efficiency. The ERC regulates generation, transmission, distribution, dispatching and supply of energy pursuant to the Law on Energy. Also, ERC is responsible for implementation of state policies and other legal acts on Energy Conservation according to the Law on Energy Conservation (www.erc.gov.mn).