From October 9, semi-coke briquettes have officially gone on sale across 400 coal sales points in Ulaanbaatar. On paper, the city seems well-prepared for the cold season. In reality, residents tell a different story. While authorities report that 35,000 tons of semi-coke fuel have been stocked across 23 warehouses, distribution has proven uneven. Each day, around five tons, roughly 200 sacks, of fuel are dispatched to sales points, where it is sold in 25-kilogram bags for 5,000 MNT each. Yet, at many outlets, supplies vanish within hours.
“I went to three different places, but all were sold out. They told me to check again tomorrow, but no one knows when new stock will arrive,” said a resident of Songinokhairkhan District, who asked not to be named.
Residents can purchase the fuel using the “Khotula” mobile app, the “Sain” card, or by scanning their national ID QR code. But for many, digital convenience means little when the product itself is out of reach. With only a limited number of contracted sales points, some households must travel two to three kilometers to find available fuel.
In certain neighborhoods, no sales points exist at all. In others, customers arrive only to find empty shelves and no clear information about future deliveries. “The system looks organized from the outside but when demand rises and trucks are delayed, people get frustrated and we have no answers to give them,” said a seller in Chingeltei District.
Officials have confirmed that, in addition to the newly imported semi-coke briquettes from China, remaining stocks of last year’s improved briquettes are also being sold to ensure steady supply. Without this buffer, the capital could quickly face a shortage, which is a serious concern as the first snow has already fallen and temperatures continue to drop. For now, many Ulaanbaatar residents are simply hoping the next delivery truck arrives before the cold deepens.
‘4 days and still no coking coal’
Last Wednesday, we visited the B-92 fuel sales point in the 20th khoroo of Chingeltei District, a spot locals refer to as “near the end of the TV tower”. About 20 minutes before we arrived, a fresh delivery of semi-coke briquettes had just been unloaded. By then, more than 10 people had already lined up, some with handcarts, others in cars, waiting for their turn to buy.
Among them was a man who had been queuing at another outlet two bus stops away. When he saw a truck loaded with coal passing by, he followed it straight to this site, hoping not to miss the day’s limited supply.
Residents say this scene has become routine. N.Dugarsuren, who lives in the 20th khoroo, explained, “Our home is behind School No. 149. There are about five or six briquette sales points in our area, but for the past four or five days, I couldn’t find any fuel. As soon as a delivery arrives, people come early in the morning to buy it. By evening, around six or seven o’clock, it’s already gone.”
He continued, “We have double-floor heating, so when coal wasn’t available, we relied on electricity. But electricity prices have gone up, and using heaters during the day has become too expensive. That’s why it’s really important to increase the number of sales points and to make information about deliveries more accessible and clear for everyone.”
Scenes like this illustrate the growing frustration among residents who depend on semi-coke briquettes to stay warm, a reminder that, despite government efforts, Ulaanbaatar’s transition to cleaner household fuel still faces serious supply and communication challenges as winter approaches.
‘Too expensive compared to improved fuel’
After leaving Chingeltei, we traveled to the 41st semi-coke fuel sales point in the 10th khoroo of Songinokhairkhan District, near the end of Bayankhoshuu. Unlike other outlets, this one sold only semi-coke briquettes.
Kh.Bolormaa, the seller in charge of the point, explained the situation. “We receive both improved and semi-coke fuel by the truckload. The improved fuel runs out within 20 minutes after delivery because it’s cheaper. A sack costs just 3,750 MNT. Most people prefer that option. But the semi-coke briquettes are cleaner. They produce less smoke and soot, and their packaging is better sealed, so they don’t stain clothes or the trunks of customers’ cars,” she said.
Nearby, D.Enkh-Oyun, a resident of the same khoroo, shared her experience after several days of using the new semi-coke fuel. “It takes a little longer to ignite, but once it burns, it holds heat well. When it burns down, it stays in a lump. If you add wood or more coal without removing it, it burns completely. There’s also less ash compared to the improved briquettes. Before, when we used to stir the coal, soot would just blow up everywhere. This new fuel seems cleaner,” she said.
Still, she added, cost remains a concern. “We live in a ger, and we burn one sack in the morning and one in the evening. The price feels high. If this fuel is meant to reduce emissions, it should be sold at the same price as the improved briquettes. The difference of 1,250 MNT per sack doesn’t sound like much, but over a week, that’s 8,750 MNT. And since sales points are far apart, people without cars sometimes have to pay an extra 1,000 MNT just for delivery.”
Currently, about 176,000 households in Ulaanbaatar rely on coal for heating. If an average household burns 30 sacks of improved briquettes per month, that totals 112,500 MNT. But the same amount of semi-coke fuel costs 150,000 MNT. There is a difference of 37,500 MNT, roughly the cost of 10 extra sacks of improved briquettes.
It’s a gap that many families can’t easily absorb. As incomes stagnate and prices rise, even small differences become major burdens. Yet residents have little choice. “People can’t choose what fuel to use. They just buy whatever the city provides because no one wants to freeze,” one seller told us quietly.
NHRCM: People lack sufficient information
Adding to the frustration, residents say they are even instructed by the Ulaanbaatar Governor’s Office on how many sacks of coal they are allowed to use per day, typically seven sacks. For many, this daily quota represents the thin line between surviving the cold and running out of heat.
This is the reality behind the city’s clean-air policies. While the government’s pledge to reduce Ulaanbaatar’s smog sounds promising on paper, residents argue that the measures have done little to improve their quality of life. Instead, they say, the burden on ordinary citizens continues to grow.
“If the government truly aims to create a smoke-free city, it should focus on improving fuel quality, lowering prices and ensuring stable supply, rather than simply restricting what people can use,” one resident told us.
The consequences of policy missteps are not abstract. Head of the Research and Analysis Department at the National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia (NHRC) S.Tungalagtamir reported last week that many citizens have already died from suffocation, even before the winter cold has fully arrived.
“No government agency has ever publicly released the number of people who have died from contaminated fuel,” S.Tungalagtamir said. NHRCM requested this information and determined that 700 people have died due to toxic fuel exposure. These citizens were killed in their own homes. Yet no one has taken responsibility, learned from these tragedies, or even publicly mourned, she underlined.
She added that many families living in ger areas began using semi-coke fuel this month without adequate information. Before introducing any new product, authorities must educate consumers and study their conditions. But in this case, households lack clear guidance, and many stoves do not meet safety standards, S.Tungalagtamir explained.
NHRCM has also warned that the city’s lack of real progress in reducing air pollution, along with weak policy coordination and the absence of effective monitoring and evaluation, is directly violating citizens’ rights to live in a healthy and safe environment.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that the medical costs of treating children for air pollution-related illnesses will reach 24.8 billion MNT this year, more than double the 10.4 billion MNT recorded in 2016.
‘The cleanest of solid fuels’
The Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences recently explained both the advantages and limitations of semi-coke fuel.
“Semi-coke is considered the cleanest of all solid fuels. However, it is still too early to fully assess the potential risks of its fumes. Coal can be processed into gas, liquid and solid fuels, and coking is the simplest of these technologies. When we burn raw coal, it emits a strong odor and large amounts of smoke due to the breakdown of unstable compounds. These fumes and unpleasant odors are major contributors to air pollution. Semi-coke, on the other hand, is produced by thermally decomposing raw coal in industrial conditions, removing resins, impurities, and toxic substances. As a result, burning semi-coke at home releases far fewer harmful emissions and helps reduce air pollution,” the institute said in a statement.
Indeed, smokeless fuel remains one of the most effective tools in the fight against air pollution. Yet it has also become a familiar symbol of government propaganda, touted each winter as a “new solution” to Ulaanbaatar’s chronic smog problem. Each year, officials praise the latest fuel innovation, claiming it emits less smoke and no greenhouse gases, while residents grow increasingly skeptical.
Many readers will remember the 2019 campaign, when authorities promoted “improved briquettes” as the perfect solution to eliminate smog ahead of the elections. More recently, just a month ago, the capital’s leaders hailed semi-coke coal as a superior alternative, claiming it produces 25 percent less smoke than improved briquettes.
But after years of shifting promises, public trust has worn thin. Many citizens now openly doubt official claims, opting for the fuels they already know despite their flaws. “Better a known devil than an unknown god,” as one resident put it.
This winter will once again test those promises. Whether semi-coke briquettes truly deliver cleaner air, or whether Ulaanbaatar’s residents will again find themselves battling smog and tragedy, remains to be seen.
