ID :
98625
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 15:03
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Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/98625
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USD 47 MILLION FOR REDUCING AIR POLLUTION
Ulaanbaatar, /MONTSAME/ The Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) Board of Directors approved the allocation of approximately $127 million for two new projects under the Mongolia Compact: the North-South Road and the Energy and Environment Projects. The projects had been proposed by the Government of Mongolia (GoM) to replace the cancelled Rail Project.
A total of USD 79.75 million will be spent on North–South Road Project. The importance of the road sector within the North-South corridor has been increasingly recognized. Thus, the Government of Mongolia requested completion of the 176.4 km Choir-Sainshand road section, as well as upgrading of the Ulaanbaatar-Nalaikh road section, and rehabilitation of the current Bayanzurkh Bridge and/or construction of a new bridge. This project also includes a technical assistance component. Together, these components will provide an important increase in the capacity of the road network infrastructure along the critical north-south economic corridor of Mongolia, facilitating greater trade and economic development.
The Energy and Environment project ($47.2 million) is focused on a critical issue for many Mongolians: air quality. During the long and harsh winters in Ulaanbaatar, the air quality is significantly deteriorated due to pollution. A significant factor in the deterioration of air quality is heavy use by the city’s poorest residents of cheap, low quality coal for heating and cooking, producing air pollutants at levels from two to ten times the international safe standards. In response, in collaboration with other donors, the project will create a facility to fund the introduction of cleaner technologies and to support the introduction of wind energy into the national power grid. The objective of the Energy and Environment project (EEP) is to reduce urban air pollution in Ulaanbaatar by increasing the adoption of energy efficient products and homes in the ger districts, and supporting the development of renewable energy. Mongolians will benefit from these initiatives through: 1) savings from reduced fuel consumption; 2) savings from reduced health costs; and 3) savings from increased productivity.
To support the implementation of the new and expanded projects, approximately $4 million has also been allocated for program administration, environmental assessment, and monitoring and evaluation. In addition, approximately $7 million is allocated for contingency purposes.
S.Batbayar
14.21
A total of USD 79.75 million will be spent on North–South Road Project. The importance of the road sector within the North-South corridor has been increasingly recognized. Thus, the Government of Mongolia requested completion of the 176.4 km Choir-Sainshand road section, as well as upgrading of the Ulaanbaatar-Nalaikh road section, and rehabilitation of the current Bayanzurkh Bridge and/or construction of a new bridge. This project also includes a technical assistance component. Together, these components will provide an important increase in the capacity of the road network infrastructure along the critical north-south economic corridor of Mongolia, facilitating greater trade and economic development.
The Energy and Environment project ($47.2 million) is focused on a critical issue for many Mongolians: air quality. During the long and harsh winters in Ulaanbaatar, the air quality is significantly deteriorated due to pollution. A significant factor in the deterioration of air quality is heavy use by the city’s poorest residents of cheap, low quality coal for heating and cooking, producing air pollutants at levels from two to ten times the international safe standards. In response, in collaboration with other donors, the project will create a facility to fund the introduction of cleaner technologies and to support the introduction of wind energy into the national power grid. The objective of the Energy and Environment project (EEP) is to reduce urban air pollution in Ulaanbaatar by increasing the adoption of energy efficient products and homes in the ger districts, and supporting the development of renewable energy. Mongolians will benefit from these initiatives through: 1) savings from reduced fuel consumption; 2) savings from reduced health costs; and 3) savings from increased productivity.
To support the implementation of the new and expanded projects, approximately $4 million has also been allocated for program administration, environmental assessment, and monitoring and evaluation. In addition, approximately $7 million is allocated for contingency purposes.
S.Batbayar
14.21
