organization:mongolian government

  • Mongolia hopes fifth time’s the charm for oil refinery | The UB Post
    http://theubpost.mn/2018/02/11/mongolia-hopes-fifth-times-the-charm-for-oil-refinery

    The construction of an oil refinery at Altan Shiree soum of Dornogovi Province is set to commence in April of 2018, financed with a one billion USD loan from India. The progress of the project has been encouraging for many who are hopeful that the refinery will offset a certain amount Mongolia’s fuel dependence on Russia.

    Despite the optimism, there has been a lot of skepticism, rightfully so. An oil refinery has been an elusive objective for Mongolia for decades. Since the transition into a democracy in 1990, Mongolia has for the most part, been able to maintain the integrity of its political security, dictating its own foreign policy.

    What Mongolia has not been able to do is fully ensure its economic and energy security. China is Mongolia’s biggest trading partner and largest buyer of its exports. Previously, the predecessor of the Russian Federation, the Soviet Union filled that role for Mongolia. In the 1990s, due to Russia being caught up in its own internal issues, it saw a significantly reduced role in Mongolia’s economy. Where Moscow has been able to make up for that loss is in the fuel sector.

    Mongolia is essentially 100 percent dependent on Russia for fuel. Russia, in particular the state-owned Rosneft, is the largest exporter of fuel to Mongolia, accounting for 94 percent of fuel imports in 2016. In 2017, Russia accounted for up to 98 percent fuel imports to Mongolia. The almost absolute dependency of Mongolia on Russia and the fact that the Mongolian government considers fuel a strategic commodity helps maintain some influence of Russia on Mongolia’s economy.

    The oil refinery financed by India is part of Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh’s Cabinet’s efforts to ensure that Mongolia produces food, energy, and fuel internally. The sentiment to alleviate Mongolia’s dependence on its two neighbors is not new and the construction of an oil refinery has been discussed for two decades.

  • Un parlementaire mongol demande une enquête anti-corruption autour du projet minier d’Oyu Tolgoï
    (1 million ₮ = 420 €)

    MP S.Ganbaatar requests investigation of Oyu Tolgoi project | UBPost News
    http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/?p=6246

    Member of the Parliament (MP) S.Ganbaatar submitted a request to the Independent Authority Against Corruption (IAAC) on October 3, to investigate the Oyu Tolgoi project. He sent the request based on his joint research and studies by experts on the project’s implementation since the signing of the contract between Rio Tinto and the Mongolian government, and how much potential benefit exists for Mongolia to earn from the project over time.
    Rio Tinto has been found to have spent a large amount of money and financing earned from Mongolian resources on funds provided to governmental and non-governmental organizations, company heads, other companies, as well as citizens not directly related to the Oyu Tolgoi project according to its expenditure report.
    S.Ganbaatar believes the investments were actually intended bribes and they violate the Mongolian people’s interests. His request proposes that the IAAC conduct inspections and investigations of six organizations that Rio Tinto, investor in the Oyu Tolgoi project, finances. These organizations are the Arts Council of Mongolia, which received 17.2 billion MNT; the General Authority for Border Protection, which received 129.2 million MNT; the NGO Mongolian Traditional Craftsmanship, which received 107.7 million MNT; the Mongolian National Mining Association, which received 89.4 MNT; ZIBRO Z, a company which received the financial backing of 1.4 billion MNT; and the NGO Ikh Us Tuul, which received financing of 600,000 USD from Rio Tinto.

  • Les temps sont durs pour Rio Tinto (et le secteur minier)

    Rio Tinto Hard-Pressed to Win by a Landslide - DailyFinance
    http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/09/13/rio-tinto

    Mining’s a tough sector to invest in right now, and it would pay to be choosy when you decide to place your bets. I just wouldn’t choose Rio Tinto at the moment.

    Gigantesque glissement de terrain dans la mine de cuivre et or de Bingham Canyon dans l’Utah en mai 2013…
    http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2013/05/06/analysing-the-bingham-canyon-mine-landslide-part-2-the-landslide-track
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/riotinto-kennecottutahcopper/8644406138/sizes/z/in/photostream

    Flickr

    Démêlés avec les gouvernements (dont la Mongolie, à #Oyu_Tolgoï) et plus généralement la montée d’un « nationalisme minier »…

    Rio Tinto’s far-flung operations are running into government resistance as they seek to take a larger piece of the natural resources pie — and the profits they can generate — for its own use. The miner is struggling to come to an agreement with the Mongolian government over its Oyu Tolgoi project, and has been forced to halt development of the underground portion of the mine, where some 80% of the mine’s value is estimated to reside.

    It’s not alone in battling the resource nationalism that’s gripped countries as commodity prices soared. Barrick Gold is duking it out with Chile over its Pascua-Lama gold mine and the rights of indigenous tribes, and Kinross Gold was forced to abandon its Fruta del Norte gold mine in Ecuador after the government wanted to tax all profits above a base amount at a confiscatory rate of 70%.

    The stalemates are leading to delays in the governments issuing permits to get the work going, a situation Vale can relate to. Its operations in Brazil grounded to a crawl at its Mariana project earlier this year after the permits needed to expand were delayed. Although it subsequently received approval to produce 20-million metric tons of iron ore a year, Vale suffered a 5% drop in production because of the delay.

    (de l’article de Daily Finance)

  • Autour des mines mongoles, croissance, pollution et ninjas
    http://blog.mondediplo.net/2013-04-19-Autour-des-mines-mongoles-croissance-pollution-et

    Comme dans de nombreux pays émergents, l’écosystème de la Mongolie subit de plein fouet les effets de ses progrès économiques, essentiellement dûs à l’exploitation « anarchique » des nombreux gisements de minerais dispersés sur un territoire équivalent à deux fois et demie celui de la France. L’essor de l’activité minière, depuis vingt ans, représente à la fois un remarquable potentiel économique et une grande menace environnementale. Cette métamorphose est porteuse d’autant de promesses que de dangers. La (...)