81.9% of Mongolia Affected by Desertification, 0.9% “Severe” www.montsame.mn

The updated Desertification Atlas, which provides a scientific evaluation of the state of desertification and land degradation in Mongolia, was presented on August 18, 2026, during the COP17 conference.

According to the updated atlas, 81.9% of Mongolia’s territory has been affected by desertification and land degradation to some extent. The atlas was developed utilizing data from the national network for water, weather, and environmental monitoring from 1991 to 2025, alongside global observation data, reanalyzed climate data, and satellite remote sensing information.

The research indicates that Mongolia's average annual air temperature increased by 2.5°C between 1941 and 2025. A warming of 1.2–1.6°C was observed across 72.6% of the country's total territory. Precipitation shows a decreasing trend in 49.7% of the land, primarily in the western regions, while it tends to increase in 50.3%, mostly in the east.

Based on drought and aridity assessments, 51.1% of the territory is characterized as dry or predominantly arid, whereas 48.9% is humid or adequately humid. Of the areas experiencing dry conditions, 25.3% fall into the extremely arid category. Furthermore, the drought index reveals a trend of intensifying drought across 53.5% of Mongolia's territory.

Regarding soil conditions, severely water-eroded soils make up 54.8% of the total land area. Meanwhile, areas experiencing wind erosion at a rate of 0.16–1.25 tonnes per hectare annually account for 34.3% of the entire territory.

Additionally, a trend of decreasing soil moisture was detected across 93.3% of Mongolia's territory, with a sharp decline in 44% of these areas raising significant concern.

In terms of water resource assessment, river runoff has decreased in nearly 60% of all rivers across the country. Regarding water quality, 67.5% of rivers showed minimal change, 28.6% experienced a decline in quality, and 3.9% showed improvement.

Vegetation productivity showed an increasing trend across most of Selenge aimag, certain soums of Tuv, Dornod, and Sukhbaatar aimags, as well as select parts of the southwestern region, covering 8.4% of the total territory.

According to the integrated assessment of desertification and land degradation, 81.9% of Mongolia’s territory has been affected: 0.9% is extremely severe, 6.2% is severe, 42.9% is moderate, 31.9% is slight, and 18.1% shows no signs of degradation.

The updated atlas features 12 land cover classification maps alongside drought and vegetation condition maps, which serve as the baseline data for Mongolia's 2026/2027 National Report on Desertification and Land Degradation to be submitted to the UNCCD.

Furthermore, this data enables national-level evaluation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators, facilitating Mongolia's transition from general international data to national, calculation-based Tier 2 reporting standards.

Government Approves Security Measures, Special Tax Benefits for Oil Refinery Project www.montsame.mn

The Cabinet has formally approved a decision to place the Oil Refinery under construction in Altanshiree soum, Dornogobi aimag, under the protection of the Internal Troops, and instructed Amar­sai­khan Sainbuyan, Minister of Justice and Internal Affairs, to implement the decision.

The Internal Troops will protect not only the refinery site but also water supply facilities and the oil pipeline complex.

The Cabinet also decided to develop the Oil Refinery as an industrial and technology park and instructed Damdinnyam Gongor, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, and other relevant officials to ensure implementation.

During Prime Minister Uchral Nyam-Osor’s visit to the refinery construction site, the project management outlined several challenges, including the risk of delays and funding disruptions due to property and land taxes, as well as the daily accumulation of tax liabilities.

Developing the refinery as an industrial and technology park will make it eligible for several tax and customs benefits. These include exemption from land fees for the first 10 years and property taxes for the first five years, as well as the possibility of extending payment periods for customs duties and value-added tax on imported goods, materials, and equipment that cannot be sourced domestically for up to four years. Foreign employees will also be exempt from workplace fees.

In addition, the technical and technological level of the industrial and technology park unit will be reviewed promptly by the Sectoral Council for Heavy Industry Technology Level Assessment. The authorities will then proceed in stages with evaluating the development plan and feasibility study, designating the land for special state use, and issuing the permit to operate as an industrial and technology park.

149th School to Install Solar Power System www.montsame.mn

The Capital City's 149th Secondary School, the Governor’s Office of Chingeltei District, and "Make Value" LLC have signed a cooperation agreement to install and lease a solar power system.

The project aims to improve air quality in Mongolia and Ulaanbaatar, boost the use of renewable energy, and reduce electricity costs for social infrastructure organizations. Additionally, it aligns with the implementation of the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) between the governments of Japan and Mongolia to mitigate climate change.

By utilizing solar energy for its daily operations, the 149th School will significantly reduce its reliance on the central power grid. The combined installation of solar panels and a battery storage system will ensure uninterrupted school operations during peak grid loads, power fluctuations, and outages.

The transition to renewable energy will decrease the burden on coal-fired power plants and reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the school's vicinity. Furthermore, the solar power system will serve as an interactive learning environment, giving students firsthand experience with renewable energy while enhancing their ecological education and understanding of green development.

Mongolia pushes to complete rail bypass around Ulaanbaatar www.intellinews.com

Mongolia is making rapid progress on a new 127-kilometre (79-mile) railway that will allow cargo and hazardous products to bypass Ulaanbaatar, a long-awaited project that could significantly impact the way freight flows around the fast-growing capital city. 

The Bagakhangai–Khushig Valley–Emeelt railway will branch from the existing Trans-Mongolian railway at Bagakhangai Station, southeast of Ulaanbaatar, run through Khushig Valley and reconnect with the main line at Emeelt Station west of the capital.

The Mongolian tughrik (MNT) 1.2-trillion ($333.6m) project is being built by state-owned Mongolian Railway (MTZ) and includes four railway stations and three passing sidings along the route.

The Bagakhangai–Khushig Valley–Emeelt railway is long-awaited.

Construction began in April 2025 on the 87.8-km Bagakhangai–Khushig Valley section. According to the government, the main construction on that section is now complete. Work on the Khushig Valley–Emeelt section began this year.

The government has ordered officials to have the railway ready for test runs in September. Full operation of the route could occur as early as December.

The railway is being built primarily to move dangerous freight away from populated areas of Ulaanbaatar. Once completed, it will carry gasoline and other petroleum products, as well as explosives and chemically hazardous cargo and coal destined for power plants.

"This dangerous cargo will be transported via the Bagakhangai–Khushigiin Valley–Emeelt direction, not through Ulaanbaatar city," Prime Minister Uchral Nyam-Osor told reporters during a visit to the project site on August 13.

The need to remove hazardous freight from the capital gained added urgency after a deadly accident in January 2024, when a heavy transport truck carrying liquefied gas collided with a vehicle in Ulaanbaatar and exploded, killing six people and igniting a large fire (See archived news video report at foot of this article)

In addition to the safety aspect, moving cargo trains around the city is also expected to reduce wait times at railway crossings. The government adds that train use could also take hundreds of trucks off Ulaanbaatar’s roads.

The new line is being constructed on a considerably more direct alignment than the older railway that goes past Nalaikh and through Ulaanbaatar.

"The old line was built like a snake. Now, the route is direct," said Uchral.

One of the project's largest structures is a new railway bridge over the Tuul River. The government says the bridge will be 476 metres long, making it the longest railway bridge in Mongolia.

Mongolian Railway officials said engineers are working to protect the flow of the Tuul River during construction.

The government says a total of 95 Mongolian companies and more than 4,000 Mongolian engineers and workers are participating in the railway project.

Uchral emphasised the domestic nature of the construction, saying Mongolians had reached a point where they could undertake major railway projects themselves.

The railway is also intended to play a much broader role in the development of the Khushig Valley, home to Chinggis Khaan International Airport, completed in 2021.

With around 1.7mn people now living in Ulaanbaatar, the population has doubled over the past two decades, and the government is looking to take pressure off the capital’s infrastructure by encouraging its residents to move to satellite towns.

The government envisions the Khushig Valley as playing a key role in that effort and is promoting it as a major transportation and logistics hub rather than simply an airport district. A new logistics centre is planned there, with the railway providing a connection that could allow some freight and logistics operations to move out of Ulaanbaatar.

By Michael Kohn

Budget deficit hits 3-year high www.ubpost.mn

The state consolidated budget ran a deficit of 2.2 trillion MNT in the first seven months of 2026, the widest gap in three years, according to preliminary execution figures released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) last week.

Total revenue and support reached 19.8 trillion MNT in the January to July period, up by 3.3 trillion MNT, or 19.6 percent, from the same period of 2025. Balanced revenue and support, which excludes one-off items, reached 17.3 trillion MNT, up by 11 percent. Total expenditure and net loan repayments came to 19.5 trillion MNT, leaving the budget in deficit. The seven-month period ran a 1.5 trillion MNT surplus in 2024 and a 1.2 trillion MNT deficit in 2025, meaning this year’s shortfall is nearly double last year’s.

Total tax revenue reached 16 trillion MNT in the first seven months, up by 1.5 trillion MNT, or 10.7 percent, from a year earlier. The increase was driven mainly by social insurance revenue, which rose by 479 billion MNT or 15.8 percent, value-added tax revenue, which increased by 12.1 percent, and income tax revenue, which surged by 9.8 percent. Excise tax revenue fell by 102.8 billion MNT or 16.2 percent.

Income tax made up 31.2 percent of total tax revenue in the seven-month period, followed by value-added tax at 23.3 percent, social insurance revenue at 22 percent, foreign operations revenue at seven percent, excise tax at 3.3 percent, and other taxes, fees and charges at 13.2 percent. Within income tax revenue, corporate income tax accounted for 63.8 percent and personal income tax, including refunds, accounted for 36.2 percent.

Consolidated state budget expenditure and net loan repayments totaled 19.5 trillion MNT in the first seven months, up by 2.6 trillion MNT or 15.5 percent, from the same period last year. The rise was driven mainly by goods and services expenditure, which increased by 18.3 percent, capital expenditure, which hiked by 31.8 percent and current transfers, which rose by eight percent.

Current transfers accounted for 38.5 percent of total expenditure, goods and services expenditure for 35.2 percent, capital expenditure for 18.4 percent, interest expenditure for 4.9 percent, and subsidies for 3.1 percent.

Capital expenditure alone reached 3.6 trillion MNT, up by 31.8 percent, from a year earlier. The increase came from construction costs, which surged by 33 percent, equipment costs, up by 36.5 percent, major repairs, up by 32.4 percent, and other capital costs, up by 20.2 percent.

City needs a construction height limit law www.ubpost.mn

There comes a point when talk stops being enough. We have reached that point with Ulaanbaatar. What this city needs, at its core, is a law that limits building heights, one that draws a firm line against the unchecked rise of glass towers and finally gives the city’s skyline some sense of order and restraint. If we want a law that protects this city, then let’s make it happen, even if that means putting real pressure on the members of Parliament who would rather look the other way, tend to their own constituencies, and leave the hard questions for someone else. Like it or not, they hold the exclusive right to draft and pass legislation. That right comes with a duty, and it is time they were reminded of it.

Failing that, we can take our case straight to the capital’s authorities and demand concrete action, not vague promises. There is precedent for this. The Ulaanbaatar City Council and the government have worked hand in hand before, and done it. The law aimed at easing traffic congestion and redeveloping ger areas, passed during Kh.Nyambaatar’s tenure, proved that when the will exists, cooperation between the two is not just possible, it is straightforward. There is no reason the same partnership cannot be forged again, this time in defense of the city’s heritage. 

Because make no mistake, the alternative is bleak. Without decisive action, Ulaanbaatar stands to lose everything that makes it worth calling home. We are talking about a city stripped of its public streets and squares, a city where even a footpath becomes a luxury. The handful of historic buildings that have survived this long, battered as they already are by developers with no regard for what came before them, will end up swallowed whole, cast into permanent shadow by yet another wall of glass and steel.

Somewhere along the way, we stopped talking about the things that actually give a city its character: its historical silhouette, its architectural landmarks, the way buildings and public spaces are meant to work together as a single, coherent whole rather than a scattershot of individual projects. That conversation has quietly fallen off the public agenda, and the silence has not gone unnoticed by the people looking to profit from it.

The so-called “monument case” that surfaced just days ago laid the problem bare. It showed, in the clearest terms possible, that land developers are willing to seize property that isn’t theirs to take if it clears the way for another high-rise in the heart of the city. This is not a hypothetical risk anymore. It is happening in plain sight. So let’s protect this city, and let’s protect what belongs to the public, before there is nothing left worth protecting. Empty gestures, the kind where everyone nods along and adds their voice to a chorus that goes nowhere, will not save a single building or a single square metre of public space. We have chosen a different route. We have done our part as citizens and submitted a formal proposal for a law in this area through the D-Parliament electronic system, the official channel for public petitions and grievances.

None of this would be new ground for Ulaanbaatar to break. Countries around the world have long turned to height restricting laws as a way to safeguard historical and cultural monuments, preserve public property and open space, protect the safety of their citizens, and stop their cities from losing the beauty and identity that set them apart. The most striking recent example comes from China, a country that holds more world records for skyscrapers than any other. Beginning in 2021, Mongolia’s southern neighbor moved to rein in decades of unchecked vertical growth. The law, jointly approved by the Ministry of Housing, Urban-Rural Development and the National Development and Reform Commission, bars the construction of any building taller than 500 meters anywhere in the country. It goes further still. Cities with populations under three million are capped at 150 meters, while those above three million face a strict ceiling of 250 meters.

Paris tells a similar story. Buildings there cannot rise above 37 meters, roughly the height of an 11 or 12 storey apartment block. That limit followed years of public backlash against the 210-meter Tour Montparnasse, erected in 1973 and now remembered less as a landmark than as a cautionary tale. Athens has drawn its own line at 27 meters, about nine storeys, to keep new construction from creeping into view of the Acropolis and the Parthenon. On the Indonesian island of Bali, a regional law puts the limit even lower, decreeing that no building may stand taller than a coconut tree, roughly 15 meters. Even the USA, hardly a country known for holding back its skyline, first passed height restricting legislation back in 1899 and has revised it repeatedly since, producing a patchwork of zoning rules that still shapes American cities today. In Washington, buildings along commercial streets are capped at 130 feet, or about 39.6 meters, while residential streets are held to 90 feet, around 27.4 meters. Pennsylvania Avenue, the ceremonial artery linking the Capitol to the White House, allows a maximum of 160 feet, or roughly 48.7 meters. The lesson is not that tall buildings are inherently the enemy. It is that cities which value their own history have chosen, deliberately and by law, to draw a line somewhere. Ulaanbaatar has not yet done the same, and it shows.

To be specific, our country currently has three main norms bearing on the question of how tall a building may rise. The first, known as Residential Building Design and Budget Planning, caps all types of housing at 51 meters, roughly 17 storeys. The second, the General Rules for Public Buildings and Structures, governs trade, service and public buildings and sets its own ceiling at 55 meters. The third is the High-rise Building Planning norm, which by its own definition applies to the pre-project studies, technical conditions, design and feasibility assessments of high-rise buildings running from 17 storeys (51 meters) up to 35 storeys (150 meters), whether built as standalone structures or as part of a larger complex, anywhere within Mongolia’s territory. These three norms set a working range of 51 to 150 meters depending on what a building is for and what kind of building it is. 

But height alone was never meant to be the whole story. A second layer of restriction is supposed to apply on top of the first, one tied to where in the capital a building sits, how it relates to the structures already around it, and whether it fits the city’s broader master plan and vision. Mongolia’s rules may allow 17 storey apartment blocks in principle, but that hardly means one belongs next door to the State Palace. And even where multi-purpose complexes are permitted up to 150 meters, that permission was never meant to license a skyscraper rising out of a neighbourhood of low-rise apartments that have stood shoulder to shoulder, in the same old style, for generations. The norms governing height, in short, are supposed to answer to something larger: the general plan that sets out how the city is organized, zoned and meant to grow. Regrettably, in Mongolia, what gets written into urban planning documents has an unfortunate habit of staying there, confined to paper and never quite making it into the world outside. 

Regulating building heights through dedicated laws and zoning rules tailored to a country’s own architecture, geography and historical landmarks is, in other words, standard practice the world over. At bottom, the goal everywhere is the same: keep citizens safe without losing sight of sound urban planning. Mongolia is no exception on paper. We do have norms and regulations meant to govern building heights. The trouble is that in practice, they have been left to gather dust.

In particular, Baga Toiruu offers perhaps the clearest example of just how far that gap between paper and practice can stretch. Back in 2015, the capital approved a feasibility study for the demolition and redevelopment of old buildings in Baga Toiruu, one that set out a clear goal to turn the area into a low density, central part of the city that preserves the historical space and image of Ulaanbaatar. Orders were issued at the time explicitly banning any building taller than six storeys in the area. That was the plan on paper. In practice, every mayor who has held the office since has made the same promise, that no high-rise construction would be allowed in Ikh Toiruu or Baga Toiruu, and that the cultural heritage sites there would be protected, and every one of them has failed to follow through. Then Mayor D.Sumiyabazar spoke about the issue more than most but in the end proved unable to act on it and left office with the problem no closer to being resolved. Under Kh.Nyambaatar, the capital went so far as to run public surveys asking residents directly about building height restrictions in Ikh and Baga Toiruu, only for the results to sit unused, with nothing done to put them into practice.

The consequences of that inaction are now impossible to miss. What is today called the central part of Ulaanbaatar, Ikh and Baga Toiruu, has effectively slipped out of anyone’s control, with multi storey buildings for trade, services, and public use going up seemingly everywhere at once. The historical image and collective memory of the capital are being crowded out, quite literally, by towers rising over them, while what few older structures remain standing get pushed further into obscurity, closer with each passing year to vanishing altogether. Now, under the banner of redevelopment and renovation, even that remaining handful is being torn down without pause.

However, the same pattern threatens to repeat itself. Sooner or later, a new governor will step forward and declare, in familiar terms, that no high-rise buildings for housing, trade, or services will be permitted in the densely populated central part of the city, that no further land will be allocated in the small roundabout or other already crowded areas, and that special permits issued to violators will be revoked. Officials will point, as they have before, to ongoing work revising urban planning documents tied to projects like the New Great Roundabout highway. But the residents of this capital have heard these lines before, and what they need now is not another round of promises. They need realistic, binding decisions, not assurances that expire the moment a new administration takes office. What if, instead of another promise, it were a law? If building height limits keep failing to hold under regulations and planning documents alone, then perhaps the honest answer is to stop asking nicely and start enforcing them by law.

We are under no illusion about our own limits here. We do not have the authority to draft legislation ourselves, still less to bring it to a vote. That power sits with Parliament, and Parliament alone. But the absence of that authority does not leave us empty handed. We still have a voice and voices, when enough of them speak at once and refuse to quiet down, have a way of becoming impossible to ignore. It is time our elected representatives heard this one clearly, and it is time they understood that silence, this time, is not an option. Ulaanbaatar has already lost more than it can afford to lose. What remains of its skyline, its old neighbourhoods, and its historic core deserves better than another decade of norms left to gather dust while glass towers rise, unchecked, over everything that came before them. The choice in front of parliament is not a complicated one. Act now, while there is still a city worth saving, or explain later, to a generation that will not have the chance to see what Ulaanbaatar once was, why nothing was done while there was still time.

Mongolia to raise minimum wage to MNT 1 million from 2027 www.gogo.mn

The Tripartite National Committee for Labor and Social Partnership began its meeting on August 14 and reached a decision on August 17, 2026, to increase Mongolia’s minimum wage.

Under the decision, the minimum wage will rise by 26.3%, from the current MNT 792,000 per month to MNT 1 million per month, effective January 1, 2027. The hourly minimum wage will be set at MNT 5,952.30.

The minimum wage is established by the Tripartite National Committee for Labor and Social Partnership, which consists of equal representatives of the Government, employers, and organizations representing and protecting the rights and legitimate interests of employees.

In determining the minimum wage, the committee considers factors including:

The population’s minimum standard of living

The ratio of labor productivity to average wages

The minimum pension provided by the Social Insurance Fund

Economic growth and the employment rate

Inflation

Over 700 Journalists Accredited to Cover COP17 www.montsame.mn

The Media and Communications Team of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification held a press briefing today.

According to the briefing, over 700 journalists representing 283 domestic and international media organizations have been accredited to cover the summit. Currently, more than 500 media personnel have already collected their press badges.

Live updates and information are being swiftly delivered to 197 countries through the official COP17 website and social media channels. Meanwhile, major Mongolian television networks, radio stations, newspapers, and news portals are providing extensive daily coverage.

International media presence includes journalists and correspondents from major global agencies such as Xinhua, TASS, and Euronews.

Officials anticipate the number of accredited journalists will rise next week. As the conference progresses into higher-level meetings and critical negotiations, a further influx of foreign reporters is expected.

During the briefing, organizers also highlighted and commended the exceptionally high participation of Mongolian journalists covering the event.

Mongolia: World gathers to seek accord on tackling desertification www.asianews.it

The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) opened today in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, with 196 countries and the European Union in attendance. For two weeks, governments, financial institutions, businesses, scientists and civil society will discuss concrete solutions for land restoration, sustainable soil management and strengthening resilience to drought.

The conference is taking place at a particularly sensitive time globally on this issue – with a scorching summer in Europe and fears over the effects in the coming months of the warming of the Pacific Ocean due to the phenomenon known as El Niño. Soil degradation and drought cost the global economy almost $900 billion a year, affect up to 40 per cent of the world’s land area and impact around 3.2 billion people. Since 2000, droughts have increased by almost a third and cause annual losses of at least $300 billion.

Opening the proceedings, Mongolian Prime Minister Nyam-Osor Uchral emphasised the need to move from declarations to concrete results. Among the priorities identified are greater integration between the environment, climate and biodiversity; increased investment in land restoration; closer collaboration between governments, financial institutions and the private sector; and greater attention to local communities and pastoralists. Science, technology and innovation must also be transformed into practical and fundable solutions.

According to the UNCCD’s Executive Secretary, Yasmine Fouad, soil degradation and drought are no longer distant environmental problems, but directly threaten food production, water availability, economies and the security of communities. For this reason, COP17 should become an implementation-focused conference, capable of rolling out already available solutions on a large scale and transforming international commitments into measurable results.

The case of Mongolia

Mongolia represents a particularly significant case: around 77 per cent of its territory is degraded, and pastoralism provides an income for one in three inhabitants. In 2023 and 2024, a severe summer drought followed by winters characterised by the dzud phenomenon (a particularly intense cold snap following a dry summer – ed.) led to the loss of over seven million head of livestock, highlighting the vulnerability of communities in arid regions.

One of the key themes will be drought resilience. More than 70 countries worldwide have already drawn up national drought plans, compared with just three in 2013. Investment in prevention proves particularly cost-effective: every dollar invested in resilience can generate up to 10 dollars in benefits, whilst some nature-based solutions can yield returns 27 times greater than their cost.

All this, however, requires substantial funding. Around $355 billion would be needed globally each year to combat land degradation and drought, but current investment amounts to just $77 billion, leaving a shortfall of $278 billion. The private sector currently contributes only around 6 per cent of the funding allocated to land restoration and drought resilience. COP17 will therefore seek to mobilise more private and public capital, with the aim of reducing risks for investors.

The rangeland crisis

Significant attention will also be devoted to rangelands, which cover 54 per cent of the world’s land area and provide a livelihood for around two billion people. They produce one-sixth of the world’s food and around 70 per cent of livestock feed, but up to half of the world’s rangelands are currently degraded or at risk. The conference is expected to promote a new policy framework and the Rangelands Flagship Initiative to foster sustainable management and strengthen the livelihoods of pastoralists.

During the second week of the conference, there will be four thematic days dedicated to finance, water, land and people, food systems and soil health. Indigenous peoples, local communities, young people, women, parliamentarians, mayors, businesses and investors will also be involved.

COP17, which will conclude on 28 August, will take decisions designed to guide the work of the UNCCD in the coming years. The main objective is to translate political agreements into investments, partnerships and concrete actions capable of halting and reversing soil degradation, combating desertification and making communities more resilient to drought and climate change.

Mongolia’s fuel supply returns to normal, restrictions on licence plates and purchase limits lifted www.asianews.network

Due to an increase in fuel imports from Russia, importing companies have been instructed to urgently step up the supply of AI-92 gasoline to filling stations in Ulaanbaatar and local areas.

As of August 14, a total of 74 railcars carrying AI-92 gasoline had arrived in Ulaanbaatar over the previous 48 hours. At 2:30 PM, another 19 railcars arrived.

The Transport Police Service is paying particular attention to ensuring the smooth movement of fuel tankers on the roads, while customs authorities are expediting the clearance of imported petroleum products.

The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources said it is working to restore fuel supply and distribution in Ulaanbaatar and local areas to normal levels by the beginning of next week.

The temporary measures introduced to improve fuel availability, including restrictions based on even and odd license plate numbers and a MNT 50,000 limit per refueling, have produced the intended results. These measures will remain in effect through August 15, after which all filling stations will resume fuel sales without restrictions based on license plate numbers or purchase amounts.

Mongolia has requested the import of 71,000 tons of petroleum products from China per month, and relevant negotiations are underway. The Chinese side has indicated that it can supply up to 75,000 tons of petroleum products per month through three border crossings.

Mongolia’s average daily consumption of AI-92 gasoline is approximately 2,000 tons.