The issue regarding fees owed by Mongolia Australia Rio Tinto Oyu Tolgoi LLC has been finally resolved.

Montsame, Ulaanbaatar, May 12 — According to a statement from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Minister Tse·Sandalagoril met with Mr. H. Amarzalgaa, Executive Director of Rio Tinto Group’s Mongolian operations, and Mr. S. Mönkhshügiin, CEO of Oyu Tolgoi LLC, on May 8, 2026.

During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on issues related to Oyu Tolgoi LLC's payment of water pollution fees, as well as strengthening land ecological restoration and supporting collaborative participation in the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Previously, the Mongolian Tax Authority had issued a demand for recovery of water resource usage fees from Oyu Tolgoi LLC; additionally, in accordance with formal requirements from the State Audit Office of Mongolia, the company was required to pay 4.8 billion tugriks. Furthermore, according to data from the Mongolian Water Resources Agency up to the first quarter of 2026, the company still had unresolved water pollution fee liabilities amounting to 1.5 billion tugriks, along with unpaid fees for the years 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, which had persisted until now.

At this meeting, all parties discussed these long-standing issues and reached a consensus on their resolution.

In response, Minister Tse·Sandalagoril stated that the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change has consistently supported mining activities that comply with Mongolia’s Constitution and laws, adopt environmentally friendly technologies, and actively fulfill social responsibilities. The success of public-private partnerships largely depends on mutual understanding between both parties. Therefore, strict adherence to relevant laws, regulations, and systems is essential. It is thus commendable that this meeting ultimately resolved the outstanding issues concerning the back payments of water pollution fees and water resource usage fees.

Moreover, the company has also fulfilled its supplementary payment obligations for 50% of the environmental protection funds stipulated in the Environmental Management Plan covering 2010–2026, amounting to a total of 9.9 billion tugriks. This clearly reflects the mutual understanding achieved among all parties involved.

He also noted that private enterprises will have opportunities to access blended financing support through participation in the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, enabling them to establish partnerships with international organizations and investment institutions and learn from advanced practices.

The Minister emphasized that over 190 United Nations member states have already confirmed their participation in this conference. As an implementing enterprise of a large-scale mining project, Rio Tinto Group and Oyu Tolgoi Company should actively support and engage in related activities of the conference, while serving as a model and leader for other companies in the industry.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864998303729676/

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