The newly built solar power station in Darkhan-Uul Province will officially commence operations on January 19. The 10MW power station has been conducting trial runs and providing electricity to the province's main power grid. The official opening ceremony of the station will be held in Khongor Soum in Darkhan-Uul Province. Officials have noted that the commencement of the plant's operations will help lower energy imports required from Russia and mark the beginning of the development of renewable energy in the region. The domestic company Solar Power International built the station in cooperation with Japan's Sharp Corporation and Shigemitsu Shoji Co. Ltd. According to a statement from Sharp Corporation, “By introducing Sharp's technology and experience in solar power generation, clean energy can be supplied and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions can be contributed to Mongolia, where coal-fired power plants are still heavily relied upon as their main energy source. In addition, the project will contribute to Japan's greenhouse gas emissions reduction target through a joint crediting mechanism. The installed capacity of PV modules for this solar power plant will be 10MW, and the annual expected power generation is 14,182MWh/year, which is expected to contribute to the reduction of approximately 14,746 TCO2 per year of greenhouse gas emissions.” CEO of Solar Power International B.Mandalbayar said that the new solar power station could potentially provide clean energy to 20,000 households. Officials also noted that the station was built to withstand temperatures of up to -40 degrees Celsius.