China and Mongolia's foreign ministers jointly attended the completion ceremony of the capital's Central Ulaanbaatar Wastewater Treatment Plant, built by China.
Mongolnews Agency, Ulaanbaatar, June 15 — A newly constructed central wastewater treatment plant, crucial for ensuring a healthy and safe living environment for Ulaanbaatar residents and maintaining ecological balance, officially began operations on the 15th of this month.
The new central wastewater treatment plant has a daily processing capacity of 250,000 cubic meters—double that of the existing facilities. Comprising 55 buildings and facilities, it enables comprehensive treatment of sludge and generates electricity sufficient to meet 35% of Mongolia’s domestic energy needs. This translates into annual savings of between 7 billion and 8 billion tugriks in electricity costs.
The completion ceremony of the new central wastewater treatment plant, located in District 20 of the Songinokhairkhan District, was held today, attended by Mongolia’s Presidential Office Director A. Uilushtugel, Minister of Urban Development and Housing E. Batamgelen, Foreign Minister B. Batzorig, Chinese Foreign Minister who is currently visiting Mongolia, and other officials.
Presidential Office Director A. Uilushtugel stated, “During his tenure as Prime Minister, President U. Khurelsukh laid the foundation for the new central wastewater treatment plant and initiated the construction project. I am satisfied with the fact that this facility has created fundamental conditions for expanding Ulaanbaatar City’s boundaries and reducing environmental pollution.”
A wastewater recycling plant operating in conjunction with the wastewater treatment facility was recently put into operation with funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation. The wastewater treatment plant underwent phased trial runs and commissioning starting from last July. The project was financed through a preferential loan of USD 249.6 million provided by the Chinese government and USD 13.1 million contributed by the Mongolian government. Both sides regard this project as a tangible outcome of bilateral cooperation and a manifestation of support and assistance between neighboring countries.
President U. Khurelsukh expressed gratitude through his Presidential Office Director to the project leaders, relevant institutions and enterprises from both countries, and the engineering technicians involved in the construction.
The Chinese Foreign Minister, representing the Chinese government, extended congratulations and thanked all institutions, enterprises, engineers, and technical personnel involved in the construction. He emphasized that this central wastewater treatment plant, symbolizing friendship between the peoples of China and Mongolia, fully reflects the friendly relationship of mutual assistance between the two nations.
Feasibility studies for the project were conducted by France’s Atolia Group at the request of the Capital Administration Office. The main construction contractor is a joint venture comprising “China Railway Fourth Bureau Group Co., Ltd.” and “Beijing Construction Engineering Group Co., Ltd.”
In addition, around 400 to 650 staff members from 17 domestic Mongolian subcontracting companies, along with over 60 Chinese engineering technicians, participated in the project’s construction. The old central wastewater treatment plant, originally established in 1964, had a daily processing capacity of 160,000 to 170,000 cubic meters. Despite three subsequent expansions and upgrades, increasing urban population has led to a 3- to 5-fold rise in sewage discharge, resulting in declining treatment capacity and more frequent technical failures.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1868053646954496/
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