World Bank approves US$12 million for Ulaanbaatar clean air project
The project aims to help Ulaanbaatar’s ger area residents access cleaner heating appliances, scale up the efficiency of household energy use, and support measures to reduce levels of particulate matter in the air.
The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved US$12 million in additional financing for the Ulaanbaatar Clean Air Project (UBCAP). The project aims to help Ulaanbaatar's ger area residents access cleaner heating appliances, scale up the efficiency of household energy use, and support measures to reduce levels of particulate matter in the air. Ulaanbaatar is among the most polluted cities in the world. About half of its 1.4 million residents live in informal ger areas without access to district heating. To keep warm in winter, residents rely mainly on stoves and low-pressure boilers burning coal and wood — one of the leading causes for high levels of air pollution in winter and smog-induced public health problems. The UBCAP was first approved in April 2012 with a total of US$15 million in financing to help ger area residents gain access to heating appliances that produce less particulate matter emissions and to develop measures to reduce particulate matter in Ulaanbaatar in coordination with development partners. The project distributed more than 40,000 clean stoves between 2013 and 2015. A pilot program on residential energy efficiency improvement financed under UBCAP supported 472 residential houses in ger neighborhoods and 12 government buildings.
