Why Ulaanbaatar’s Power System Is Failing Under Winter Stress

In Ulaanbaatar, where winter temperatures routinely fall below minus 30 degrees Celsius, energy policy is not an abstract debate. It is a question of heat, light, and survival. This January, that reality became unavoidable as rolling blackouts swept the capital and the government turned from engineers to prosecutors.

The arrest of Tavinbekh, former energy minister and head of the Thermal Power Plant No.4 (TPP-4), a country’s largest power plant, has focused public anger on corruption. Yet the scandal tells a larger story.