Forest, forestry, and energy in Mongolia toward cleaner production

This review focuses on the current situation of energy resources and usage in Mongolia to reduce the air pollution problems caused by heavy and inefficient coal utilization by shifting to cleaner energy sources such as woody biomass while adopting global best practices. Due to increased urbanization and the development of the mining sector, the country's energy consumption increases 6-9% each year. Coal accounts for 90% of the total energy usage. Mongolia's forest is over-aged, and the deadwood accumulation accounts for 46.5 m3 per hectare. There is a potential for using unused forest resources as an alternative energy source. Firewood comprises approximately 80% of the country's total harvested wood. However, the firewood combusted in a primitive stove, which has less efficiency rate. For this reason, small to medium scale biomass-powered power plants can be introduced based on the availability of the resources.

Further studies on the availability are essential for the successful utilization of unused forest biomass in Mongolia. Lastly, the country is taking action to increase the share of renewable energy in total energy production up to 30% by 2030. Thus, the unused biomass utilization as a cleaner energy source aligns to expand renewable energy production in Mongolia.