Research into Prospects for the Expansion of Mongolia’s Electric Power Industry under Current Conditions

Abstract

There is a long history of cooperation in electric power between Russia and Mongolia. The Soviet Union helped design, supply, and build electric generating and electric grid facilities for Mongolia’s electric power industry. Soviet–Mongolian ties provided and continue to provide the exchange of power between the countries, improving the operating modes of power equipment and increasing the efficiency of the electric power systems (EPS) and the reliability of power supply to consumers. In the post-Soviet period, Russian–Mongolian electric power cooperation has continued, including in recent years. Scientific and technical cooperation has been actively developing to study the prospects for the development of Mongolia’s EPS with the formation of a Unified Power System (UPS) of the country, further cooperation with the UPS of Russia, and integration with a potential international supergrid of Northeast Asian (NEA) countries. A general methodology has been formed and a holistic computational toolkit has been developed, including a number of mathematical models, to perform comprehensive research into the formation and justification for the development of the UPS of Mongolia. Scenario studies have been carried out to optimize the generating and network infrastructure of the UPS of Mongolia. An optimized multinode integrated structural scheme of the UPS of Mongolia, in which regional electric power systems are combined, has been determined. The role of the Gobitek project based on renewable solar and wind energy, contributing to the carbon-free development of Mongolia’s electric power industry, is shown. The further development of the UPS of Mongolia should go through strengthening electrical connections with the energy systems of neighboring countries (including Russia), which is a prerequisite for Mongolia’s entry into the NEA energy space and integration with the international supergrid of this region.