Ulaanbaatar city, August 20, 2021 – The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Advanced Water Purification Plant, which will be built under the Mongolia Water Compact, was held on August 20, 2021 at the eastern foot of Songinokhairkhan Mountain.
“Three years ago, during my official visit to the United States as the Prime Minister of Mongolia, I, along with then Secretary of State and Chairman of the Board of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Michael R. Pompeo signed the Joint Declaration recognizing the $350 million Mongolia Water Compact” said President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa in his remarks to the groundbreaking ceremony. “The Millennium Challenge Corporation's $ 350 million grant under this Compact will help us to increase the available water supply, one of the most vital issues, in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. This important mission to ensure sustainable development is put into action and the construction work is starting today. In three years from now, right here at the foot of Songinokhairkhan Mountain, where we've gathered today, the Advanced Water Purification Plant will be built to supply water to Ulaanbaatar, as well as to planned satellite cities and new settlements. I am sincerely happy to witness this historic day”.
He congratulated and extended sincere gratitude to all those who worked together and made efforts to ensure the full preparation of projects to be implemented under the Compact and reached this important milestone on time in this difficult time of the pandemic, and wished success in the construction work and implementation of the Compact.
U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia Michael Klecheski participated in the ceremony as well, and remarked on the importance of providing sustainable support to democratic third neighbors. “The U.S. Government is supporting Mongolia’s economic growth using grant financing when possible,” explained Ambassador Klecheski, “because we believe that growing democracies benefit from programs that do not lead to too much debt.”
MCC Deputy Chief Executive Officer Alexia Latortue offered her congratulations during the groundbreaking ceremony for the AWPP and wished success with the project during her video greetings.
President of Mongolia U.Khurelsukh, U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia Michael Klecheski, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of MCA-Mongolia B. Battsetseg, Minister of Construction and Urban Development B.Munkhbaatar, Chief Executive Officer of MCA-Mongolia E.Sodontogos, and Head of USUG Ts.Turkhuu and MAPA Project Director Omer Isikman formally broke the ground at the AWPP project site marking the beginning of the construction.
“The construction of the infrastructure, which will be funded by the Compact grant, is beginning today with the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Advanced Water Purification Plant” said E. Sodontogos, CEO of MCA-Mongolia told the media after the ceremony.
“Under this Compact, we must complete numerous work within the coming 4 years and eight months, including the construction of two new groundwater wellfields and two large plants - Advanced Water Purification Plant and Wastewater Recycling Plant and automation of more than 180 water kiosks in ger districts as well as setting up a laboratory with advanced technology to reduce industrial wastewater pollution and providing technical supports to create a soft infrastructure to ensure the sustainability of the water sector in UB. Unlike other Compact countries, the construction season in Mongolia is substantially shorter. In addition, it is still unpredictable how the situation with the Covid-19 pandemic will change in the future. Therefore, we must plan and implement our work with high sense of works and great precision to race against time. We are confident that we will overcome potential challenges and successfully implement the Mongolia Water Compact through joint effort and mutual understanding of our stakeholders, including the Government of Mongolia, the Capital City authority, the private sector, the academia and the general public”.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medalist in judo, USUG Network Services Department’s Technician Ts.Tsogtbaatar also delivered a short speech on behalf of his colleagues.
The Advanced Water Purification Plant will be built on the eastern slopes of Songinokhairkhan Mountain by MAPA Group, a leading multinational construction company founded in Turkey that successfully completed more than two hundred projects worth over $8bn and has many ongoing projects worth over $4 billion around the world. The company has extensive experience in the construction of large dams, hydropower plants, drinking water treatment plants, and wastewater treatment plants, and currently, a number of drinking water treatment facilities constructed by MAPA provide safe and clean drinking water to more than 11 million people around the world.
The construction of the Advanced Water Purification Plant will be completed in late 2024 and the testing and calibration work will last for one year. With the completion of this project, up to 50 million cubic meters of safe and high-quality drinking water will be delivered annually from the AWPP to the central water supply network of UB.
The Government of Mongolia and the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation signed the five-year $350 million Mongolia Water Compact on July 27, 2018. The Compact is funding major infrastructure projects through 2026, including the construction of new wellfields and two large plants - an Advanced Water Purification Plant and Wastewater Recycling Plant which will be the first of their kind in Mongolia. In addition, the Compact will invest in policy measures to create a financially and environmentally sustainable future for the water sector of Ulaanbaatar. As a result of the Compact and GoM investments, the capacity of the water system in Ulaanbaatar will be increased to deliver 80% more drinking water, allowing for the city’s future expansion.