Within the framework of the ’50 billion trees’ program that will be co-implemented by the five entities specialized in tree planting and rehabilitation, the Mongolian University of Life Sciences and the Research Institute of Horticulture of Siberia, three million trees are planned to be planted next spring.

The program allows citizens to plant trees online through the ‘Mod’ smartphone application, which will be launched from February 4. This means that the professional team will plant the trees ordered by the citizens through the application.

Using the application, it is possible for citizens to order larch, pine, willow, elm and spruce for MNT 2,500 respectively. The application also will offer a package of four types of trees for MNT 10,000.

As reflected in the program, 50 million trees will be planted over a period of 10 years in an area of 16,000 hectares in Khuder soum of Selenge aimag and 38 hectares in Ar Gunt, the capital city. It is possible to plant 20,9 million seedlings in Ar Gunt.

At the area to plant trees preparations such as installation of irrigation system, camera control and power transmission line have been made, said PhD B.Munkhbat from the Mongolian University of Life Sciences.

A new TV channel will be opened in Mongolia jointly with Hong Kong Satellite TV International Media Group. Mongolia Association of Culture, Tourism, Securities and Industry, in partnership with Economy and Culture and Tourism Channels of the Hong Kong Satellite TV, has launched a project to open a new TV channel to be broadcast in English and Chinese languages. According to Zhao Hong Tao, director of Culture and Tourism Channel of the Hong Kong Satellite TV, and Lu Jin Hua, Director of Economy Channel of the Hong Kong Satellite TV, the new channel will broadcast news programs and contents that promote international cooperation within the Belt and Road Initiative, development of international cooperation in the difficult times of financial crisis and COVID-19 pandemic, investment in culture, tourism and small, medium and large manufacturing sectors.

In support of objectives to give all-round support to citizens, businesses and investors to enter the world market through their active participation, to introduce 4th Industrial Revolution, artificial intelligence, blockchain and innovative achievements and to implement policies in the line with digital economy, as outlined in the New Revival Policy proposed by the Government of Mongolia and Prime Minister L. Oyun-Erdene, the Channel aims to deliver reliable and beneficial information on economic trends of international IPOs, NFT currencies and the digital economy.

P.Altan-Erdene, a member of the Board of the Mongolia Association of Culture, Tourism, Securities and Industry, said that it will work in the spirit of supporting national policies and programs such as ensuring the international investment environment stable and improving public financial literacy.

Mongolian boxers won 12 medals in total (2 gold, 2 silver and 8 bronze medals) at ASBC Asian U22 Boxing Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on January 20-29, 2022.

In detail, M.Enkhjargal (women’s 54 kg) and G.Badmaarag (women’s 60 kg) won gold medals. M.Namuun (women’s 57 kg) and M.Tsetsegdari (women’s 63 kg) grabbed silver medals. B. Janargul (women’s 48 kg/, A. Khulan / women’s 50 kg /, Kh.Azbayar /men’s 51 kg/, D. Ganbold /men’s 54 kg/, B. Buyandalai /men’s 60 kg/, B.Tuguldur /men’s 63.5 kg/, A.Jandos /men’s 67 kg/ as well as B.Gantulga /men’s 75 kg/ won bronze medals respectively.

Australian oil and gas exploration and development company Elixir Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Mongolia Green Finance Corporate to support financing for the first phase of a proposed green hydrogen project planned for the South Gobi region of the East Asia nation.

Adelaide-headquartered Elixir Energy has announced it has achieved progress on multiple fronts for its proposed Gobi H2 green hydrogen project in Mongolia, including the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support project finance.

ASX-listed Elixir, whose strategy rests on the view that the Gobi region is one the of best locations in the world for producing and exporting green hydrogen, given its renewable resources and immediate proximity to likely hydrogen markets, said it had executed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Mongolia Green Finance Corporate (MGFC) as it seeks to progress its renewable energy ambitions.

Under the MoU, the two entities will work together to identify carbon offset opportunities to reduce exploration and appraisal stage scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions, develop larger scale forestry and nature related offsets, and work with international financial institutions over the project financing of Gobi H2.

Elixir managing director Neil Young said the company is pleased to be working with the Mongolian government to investigate the world-class green hydrogen potential of the country which is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south.

Elixir, which operates in Mongolia and the United States, said it would also seek to work with the Mongolian government and other potential stakeholders to bring forward Australia’s expertise in the nascent hydrogen economy in technical, commercial and legal areas.

“All the work we are doing on our Gobi H2 project serves to reinforce our original starting concept: the country is a potential tier-one location for large-scale hydrogen exports,” Young said.

“Elixir’s first-mover advantages are being progressively locked in and it is fantastic to see the rapidly growing interest in this future-facing industry from multiple local and international stakeholders.”

The signing of the MoU follows Elixir’s recently commissioned independent report from energy analyst K1 Capital which evaluated the wind and solar resource potential of the South Gobi region for the production of green hydrogen.

The report estimates the project location has a combined wind and solar utilisation of 79%, compared to the 60% rate in the Southern Goldfields, and 45% in the Pilbara region in Western Australia. The report said this is underpinned by very high wind speeds, along with a cold climate which could support enhanced solar efficiencies.

Elixir said a location with a capacity factor of 79% will produce about 60% more hydrogen from the same capital investment than an area with a roughly 50% capacity factor.

Young said the company believes Mongolia is “exceptionally” well placed to supply what are predicted to be substantial hydrogen imports.

“The K1 Capital report supports our thesis that the South Gobi region of Mongolia has such potential – not only given its location immediately proximate to markets, but also its superb renewable resources,” he said.

“The wind and solar combination in our project area is as good as we have seen anywhere.”

While Elixir is yet to release details about the size of the proposed project, it late last year acquired the 50 MW Solar Ilch solar project being developed in the South Gobi desert by Mongolian investment firm Nova Terra and Thailand-based solar project developer Symbior Solar.

Elixir said it is now harvesting detailed data for both wind and solar in the region using SODAR (Sonic Detection and Ranging) equipment provided by Sydney-based technology company Fulcrum3D.

Elixir said it has also ordered a solar-focused monitoring unit from Fulcrum3D that will be deployed at the Solar Lich solar farm. It will be installed to provide data that will assist project funding capacity.

“The acquisition of Solar Ilch is a material step in the implementation of our relatively recently announced hydrogen strategy, but is only one of a good number of moves we are making on this front,” Young said.

Elixir said a concept stage study has also been commissioned from Australian engineering firm GPA Engineering for a pilot project to supply green hydrogen to Inner Mongolian steel mills in China.

The company said it has also initiated a commercial study with international energy consulting firm Rystad Energy into China’s long-term hydrogen demand and supply.

Mongolia reported 1,206 new cases of coronavirus infection, said the Ministry of Health on Jan 31.

648 were recorded in Ulaanbaatar, 558 cases in the regions bringing the total number of cases to 444,719.

2 people died from coronavirus per day raising the death toll to 2,036.

A recent report by BloombergNEF states that global investment in the energy transition totalled $755 billion in 2021 – a new record – off the back of rising climate ambitions and policy action from countries around the world.

According to BNEF, investments rose in almost every sector covered in the report, including renewable energy, energy storage, electrified transport, electrified heat, nuclear, hydrogen and sustainable materials. Only carbon capture and storage recorded a dip in investment, though there were many new projects announced in the year.

The report points out that renewable energy remains the largest sector in investment terms, achieving a new record of $366 billion committed in 2021, up 6.5% from the year prior. Electrified transport, which includes spending on electric vehicles and associated infrastructure, was the second-largest sector with $273 billion invested.

“With electric vehicle sales surging, this sector grew at a breakneck rate of 77% in 2021 and could overtake renewable energy in dollar terms in 2022,” the document reads.

The market researcher’s data show that nuclear, energy storage, electrified transport and electrified heat accounted for the vast majority of investment at $731 billion. Hydrogen, carbon capture and storage and sustainable materials made up the rest, totalling $24 billion.

“The global commodities crunch has created new challenges for the clean energy sector, rising input costs for key technologies like solar modules, wind turbines and battery packs. Against this backdrop, a 27% increase in energy transition investment in 2021 is an encouraging sign that investors, governments and businesses are more committed than ever to the low-carbon transition, and see it as part of the solution for the current turmoil in energy markets,” Albert Cheung, head of analysis at BloombergNEF, wrote in the report.

Cheung pointed out that Asia Pacific was both the largest region for investment at $368 billion or nearly half the global total, and the region with the highest growth at 38% in 2021. Europe, the Middle East and Africa grew by 16% in 2021, reaching $236 billion, while the Americas saw investments grow by 21% to $150 billion.

“China was again the largest single country for energy transition investment, committing $266 billion in 2021,” the dossier notes. “The United States was in second place with $114 billion, though EU member states as a bloc committed more at $154 billion. Germany, the UK and France rounded out the top five countries for energy transition investment in 2021. Asia-Pacific countries now hold four of the top 10 places in terms of energy transition investment levels, with India and South Korea joining China and Japan.”

Future scenarios

Despite the record growth toward energy transition, BNEF’s experts believe investment levels need to roughly triple, such that they average $2.1 trillion per annum between 2022-2025, in order to get on track with any of the three alternative scenarios the firm has outlined to reach global net-zero by 2050, in line with 1.75 degrees of global warming.

Once they triple, investments will need to double again to an average of $4.2 trillion between 2026 and 2030 to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

BNEF’s figures show that, however, at current growth rates, the electrified transport sector is the only one that has the best chance of getting on track for such investment levels.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of Mongolia a held scheduled meeting on January 28th, 2022. Taking into consideration current state of the economy and financial markets as well as outlook and risks to the domestic and foreign economic environments, the MPC decided to:

1. Raise its policy rate by 0.5 percentage point to reach 6.5 percent;

2. Increase the percentage of required reserves in MNT deposits by 2 percentage points to 8 percent;

3. Change the terms of long-term repo trade financing for the non-mining export and processing industries;

The spread of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 is increasing, the global economic outlook is deteriorating, and cost-push inflation is rising sharply in many countries due to transportation, logistics delays, and supply chain failures. In our country, the price of imported goods has also increased due to the continuing delays in foreign trade. Rising prices for meat, vegetables, fuel and imported goods triggered the price increases in other goods and products more than it was expected. Annual headline inflation reached 13.4 percent nationwide and 14.8 percent in Ulaanbaatar city as of December 2021.

Demand-driven inflation is expected to continue to gradually increase following the economic activity, while the outlook of supply-driven inflation will depend on how quickly border constraints, transportation and logistics delays are addressed.

Progressive monetary and macroeconomic policies and financial regulatory measures to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic have had a positive impact on supporting economic recovery and maintaining financial sector stability. In the last two months of last year, the mining and transportation sectors fell short of expectations, while the manufacturing, trade and service sectors outperformed expectations as business constraints eased and domestic demand increased.

The monetary policy stance has been tightened as there is a risk that inflation expectation will increase and the second round of effects from the inflation will intensify as supply shortages continue due to border constraints. In addition, the fact that the base interest rate in foreign markets is expected to increase created conditions for raising the policy rate.

The central bank will adjust its monetary policy stance in a timely manner in line with the developments of economic recovery and inflation outlook.

Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- A specialist of the Mongolian National Olympic Committee (MNOC) on Monday expressed confidence that China will successfully host the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

"First of all, I would like to thank the Chinese people for hosting the Winter Olympics at a time when the world is on its knees in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. I have no doubt that China will successfully host the Olympic Games because the country knows better than anyone how to fight the pandemic and how to follow the infection control regime," Battogtokh Usukhbayar, education specialist of the MNOC, told Xinhua in an interview.

"In addition, China has the experiences of successfully organizing major continental and world-class events, so we are confident that the Beijing Winter Olympics will be a great success and at the high level," said Usukhbayar.

Two cross-country skiers of Mongolia will participate in the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, and under the guidance of a Swiss coach, they have trained for the Beijing Winter Olympics in European countries where skiing is highly developed, the specialist said.

He said that the Mongolian skiers will strive to improve their personal records and achieve the country's best result at the Winter Games in Beijing.

Mongolia and China have been friendly neighbors for many years, Usukhbayar said, adding that during the Olympic Games, leaders of the MNOC are expected to meet relevant high-ranking officials of China to discuss future cooperation.

The New Year Sumo Tournament went down to the wire with the championship being decided on the final bout of the 15-day competition. In the end, the Emperor’s Cup ended up in the hands of a wrestler who also clinched his promotion to the second-highest rank of ozeki.

All eyes on the sole Yokozuna

Before the tournament, a lot of attention was focused on yokozuna grand champion Terunofuji. The Mongolian-born yokozuna showed overwhelming strength last year by winning four out of six tournaments to become the leading figure in sumo. 30-year-old Terunofuji entered the competition having won two consecutive titles since making yokozuna in September. This time he was aiming to engrave his name in sumo history by winning three consecutive titles right after becoming yokozuna… a feat which has not been accomplished for more than a century. The only other grand champions to capture three titles in a row since debuting at the top rank were Tachiyama in 1912 and Tochigiyama in 1919.

A major upset at the top level

Terunofuji was the top contender this time, but other wrestlers stepped up to challenge him. The man leading the charge was Mitakeumi. By the end of the first week of the two-week contest, Mitakeumi was the only combatant with a perfect 8 and 0 record. Terunofuji was still in Mitakeumi’s rear-view mirror with just one loss, followed by six other wrestlers with 2 losses each.

Mitakeumi suffered his first setback with a loss on Day 10 which placed him and Terunofuji as the co-leaders, with five days to go. When the two leaders both lost on Day 12, it created a three-way tie for first place as maegashira rank-and-filer Abi also remained at two losses. With just three days left, it was clear to everyone that the championship was going to be claimed by one of these three wrestlers.

On Day 13, Mitakeumi faced off against Abi and defeated the up-and-comer with little trouble. And then, on Day 14, it was Abi knocking off Terunofuji for a huge upset.

So, heading into the final day, Mitakeumi had sole possession of the lead with 12 wins and 2 losses. He was being trailed by three men with 11 wins and 3 losses each: Terunofuji, Abi and another rank-and-filer, Kotonowaka. First, Abi and Kotonowaka faced each other. Abi won the match and eliminated Kotonowaka from the title race.

Now, the showdown: Mitakeumi versus Terunofuji. If Mitakeumi were to beat Terunofuji, Mitakeumi would clinch the championship. But if Mitakeumi were to lose to Terunofuji it would create a three-way playoff with Terunofuji, Mitakeumi and Abi. The match began with Terunofuji trying to gain an early advantage by establishing an inside position on Mitakeumi but the yokozuna’s strategy was completely blocked by Mitakeumi’s solid defense. Mitakeumi then seized a double inside grip on Terunofuji and drove the yokozuna out of the ring to take the match. The victory gave Mitakeumi the tournament championship with 13 wins and 2 losses. It was his first title since the 2019 September tournament and his third overall. We saw Mitakeumi get emotional during the victory ceremony. I’m sure his tears of happiness will wash away all the frustrations he has endured over the past few years.

Earning coveted promotion to ozeki

With his New Year Tournament triumph, Mitakeumi amassed a total of 33 wins in three recent tournaments which is a benchmark to make ozeki, the second-highest rank. Three days after the tournament’s completion on Wednesday, the Japan Sumo Association officially promoted Mitakeumi to the well-respected rank. It was a dream-come-true moment for 29-year-old Mitakeumi, who had spent a total of 18 tournaments at the third-highest rank of sekiwake.

Mitakeumi’s promotion to ozeki is significant. He’s become only the second man from Nagano prefecture in central Japan to rise to ozeki. The last Nagano native to earn the promotion was Raiden in 1795, a full 227 years ago.

Upon receiving the promotion, Mitakeumi said that he’ll try his best not to disgrace the rank of ozeki. He also said that he will always be grateful and will keep working hard by further improving his strength.

Personally, I have been an advocate of Mitakeumi since his pro debut. I’ve interviewed him and spoken to him a number of times and each time he impressed me with his poise and self-confidence. A lot of people have criticized Mitakeumi in the past for his lack of determination to make ozeki. But Mitakeumi always told me that he firmly believes in his own approach, and he has never wavered. His promotion validates him, and he has now silenced all the critics. Way to go Miakeumi! Job well done.

Special prize winners

Mitakeumi not only took home the Emperor’s Cup but he also picked up the Technique Prize for displaying superb techniques throughout the tournament.

The runner-up finisher Abi received the Outstanding Performance Award for upsetting yokozuna Terunofuji and contending for the championship until the last moment.

Kotonowaka also went home with a special award. He was given the Fighting Spirit Prize for making his presence felt by racking up 11 wins.

Looking ahead

Now that the New Year Tournament is in the books, let’s shift our focus to the next tournament; the spring tourney which takes place in March.

The upper echelons will be made up of yokozuna grand champion Terunofuji along with three ozeki champions; Shodai, Takakeisho and Mitakeumi.

Among the four horsemen, the newly promoted ozeki Mitakeumi will likely be leading the charge. He’ll be gunning for his second consecutive, and fourth overall, championship. Furthermore, he’ll be aiming to become the first wrestler since Hakuho in the 2006 May tournament to win the championship in his ozeki debut. Needless to say, Mitakeumi can’t sit on his laurels but must train harder and improve his strength and technique, because his lower-ranked foes will be much more eager and motivated to take down ozeki Mitakeumi moving forward.

Will the top dog Terunofuji redeem himself to bring the Emperor’s Cup back to his living room? For him to do so, he must get himself back in top form. It was evident from about half-way through the New Year Tournament that he was out of shape. He was fighting with limited mobility as he was dealing with pain in his knees. If he wants to overwhelm his foes again he has to take care of his body and enter the spring tourney in tip-top shape.

The two ozeki Shodai and Takakeisho underperformed this time. Shodai ended the contest with a dismal 6 and 9 record. Finishing with a losing record is nothing but a disgrace if you’re an ozeki. Takakeisho also came up way short of expectations, taking himself out of the tournament on Day 4 citing an ankle injury. As a result, both will enter the spring contest as kadoban ozeki --- which means that if they fail to score a majority of 8 wins they will no longer remain at ozeki and will be demoted to a lower rank. We’ll see how Shodai and Takakeisho deal with their predicament in March.

Finally, I want you to keep your eye on Abi. Since his repromotion to the top division in November, he’s now scored back-to-back 12 and 3 records. The only reason Abi was competing in the lower divisions the past year was because of his violation of COVID-19 protocols set by the sumo association. After serving three tournament suspensions, he’s proved his mental maturity and physical prowess and has been nothing short of spectacular. There’s no doubt in my mind Abi has what it takes to win a tournament and become one of the leading figures in sumo in the near future. People often refer to the spring tournament as the “areru haru basho” which literally means the “stormy spring tournament.” Don’t be surprised to see Abi creating a big storm and coming out on top when all is said and done in March.

The Spring Tournament will get underway on March 13 in Osaka, western Japan.

Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia recorded 1,834 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 442,513, the country's health ministry said Sunday.

The ministry said that the latest confirmed cases were all locally transmitted.

Meanwhile, three more COVID-19 patients died in the past day, raising the national death toll to 2,034.

Currently, 10,591 COVID-19 patients are being hospitalized across the country, while 56,178 asymptomatic or mild patients are receiving home-based care, said the ministry.

Omicron cases currently account for more than 90 percent of the daily total in the country, according to the National Center for Communicable Diseases.

So far, 66.7 percent of the country's total population of 3.4 million have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses, while more than 1,006,400 have received a third dose.

More than 80,800 Mongolians have received a fourth dose, which the country started to administer on Jan. 7 on a voluntary basis.