Episode 19: Mongolia’s Energy Crisis: Power Outages Leave Ulaanbaatar in the Dark

In this episode, we discuss why Mongolia’s power grid has been under strain for nearly two decades. Despite repeated development plans and infrastructure proposals, the country has struggled to modernize its aging energy system.

As a result, widespread power outages in Ulaanbaatar throughout January highlight deep institutional issues in Mongolia’s electricity network and raise urgent questions about planning, investment, and accountability.

Where did Mongolia’s energy policy go wrong—and what would it take to fix the country’s electricity crisis?

Pocketcast | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

36min

Hosts: Anand, Dolgion, Julian

Date Recorded: Jan 30 2026

Date Released: Feb 4 2026

Keywords: energy | politics | policy

Show notes:

• Dolgion referred to these studies:

  • Tuvshintugs Batdelger, Manlaibaatar Zagdbazar “The heterogeneous impact of energy subsidy reform: The ill-targeted nature of energy subsidies in Mongolia”, Energy Policy, Volume 211, 2026.

  • UNDP Mongolia “Empowering vulnerable households to access affordable and clean energy”, Sept 2025

  • Manlaibaatar Zagdbazar and Dolgion Aldar “Comparative Assessment of the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Policy Measures on Small Businesses in Mongolia and Timor-Leste” in J Chesters, Ch Suter, and S Fachelli, eds. Economics, Politics and Governance During COVID-19: Experiences of the Global South, 2025

• UBC student project: “Incentive-based regulatory models to improve energy saving and efficiency”