ULAN BATOR, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh on Tuesday described the new central wastewater treatment plant in Ulan Bator, built with assistance from China, as a symbol of the Mongolia-China comprehensive strategic partnership and the friendship between the two peoples.
Khurelsukh made the remarks while visiting the facility, which officially commenced operations in mid-June.
He thanked everyone involved in the project, saying the new plant will improve the living environment for residents of the Mongolian capital, help protect the ecological balance, and support the city's long-term development.
Construction of the facility began in 2019. With a daily treatment capacity of 250,000 cubic meters, which is twice that of the previous plant commissioned in 1964, it significantly expands the city's wastewater treatment capacity, according to the presidential press office.
The new plant can fully process sludge generated during wastewater treatment and produce electricity to meet about 35 percent of its own energy needs, reducing annual electricity costs by an estimated 7 to 8 billion Mongolian tugriks (1.95 million U.S. dollars to 1.96 million dollars), it said.
Meanwhile, Tsogtsaikhan Turkhuu, director of the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority of Ulan Bator, said the project was completed despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that around 70 employees have been trained in China since 2023 to operate the facility.
Ulan Bator is home to more than half of Mongolia's population of 3.5 million.
A single purchase
