A malfunction occurred at Thermal Power Plant No. 4 (TPP-4) in Ulaanbaatar on January 20, 2026, resulting in temporary restrictions on electricity supply to consumers. According to Minister of Energy Choijilsuren Battogtokh repairs to the plant’s boiler have been completed, and 100 MW of capacity was restored in the morning. The plant is expected to return to normal operating conditions within the day.
The Minister noted that temporary power restrictions cannot be ruled out when equipment malfunctions occur at power plants.
Due to a shortage of electricity capacity, Ulaanbaatar Electricity Distribution Network SOE implemented scheduled power restrictions across districts yesterday. The Ministry of Energy reported that while TPP-4 was operating at full capacity without backup equipment, damage occurred to the boiler’s heating surface, forcing the plant to shut down and leading to restrictions on 161 MW of electricity consumption. As a result, the National Dispatching Center limited power supply for up to 1.5 hours in certain locations and urged consumers to adjust their electricity use accordingly.
In addition, coal being fed into the boiler at the Booroljuut Power Plant froze and caused a blockage on the evening of January 20, which reduced output by 120 MW, prompting wider power restrictions. Consequently, electricity consumption was temporarily limited for 371,174 households and 46,691 business entities, affecting a total of 417,865 consumers.
For the 2025–2026 winter season, the projected peak load of the Central Regional Integrated Power Grid is estimated at 1,800 MW, while actual demand reached 1,803 MW two days ago. Heat sources supplying Ulaanbaatar’s centralized heating system were planned to operate at a total load of 2,019 Gcal per hour; however, as of yesterday, they were operating at 2,055 Gcal per hour.
As of January 20, thermal power plants had an average coal reserve sufficient for 10 days, totaling 408,000 tons, while fuel oil reserves stood at 3,023 tons.
Minister Choijilsuren further stated that Mongolia imports up to 300 MW of electricity from the Russian Federation. However, due to extreme cold reaching minus 50 degrees Celsius in some areas of Russia, supply constraints may occur, though efforts will be made to resolve the issue. He added that since 2024, Mongolia has commissioned electricity generation sources totaling 560 MW, but this remains insufficient to meet demand, which is growing by approximately 12 percent annually. The commissioning of an additional 600 MW of capacity by 2027 would make it possible to fully meet Ulaanbaatar’s electricity demand, the Minister said.

Published Date:2026-01-22