ULAN BATOR, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Japan's electronics giant Sharp Corp. will build Mongolia's second megawatt-level solar power plant in the country's northern province of Darkhan-Uul, local authorities said Friday.
According to the provincial governor's office, a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the solar power plant with a total capacity of 20 megawatts was held on Thursday in the province.
"The construction of the solar power plant will begin in the second half of this year. The project will be completed by the third quarter of 2019," it said in a statement.
Sharp will build the plant together with local Mongolian partner Darkhan-Selenge Electric Distribution Network LLC.
B. Batjargal, chief engineer of the Mongolian electric power company, said that the project will reduce carbon emissions by around 25,000 tons and save up to 355 million liters of water annually.
The landlocked Asian country with a population of just over three million enjoys more than 250 days of sunshine a year. Meanwhile, the country's renewable capacity nearly doubled last year, reaching 155 MW, the Ministry of Energy said.
The Japanese electronics producer installed Mongolia's first large solar power plant, with a capacity of 10 MW, in the province in January 2017. The country's second wind farm, the 50 MW Tsetsii Wind Farm, also opened in October of that year.
Mongolia seeks to provide sufficient heat and electricity for its population, especially in rural areas, and renewable energy projects are seen as a possible solution.