Towards New Assessments of the Environmental Consequences of the Construction of the Mongolian Hydroelectric Power Station

Based on the results of the first meeting of the Russian-Mongolian expert group on assessing the possible impact of the construction of the Egiin-Gol hydroelectric power station on Lake Baikal and the Selenga River, new assessments of the environmental consequences of the project implementation were proposed, taking into account possible changes in landscapes and production characteristics of the vegetation cover. Alternative solutions to the problem of energy supply to Mongolia are briefly considered. It is shown that the most acute solution in terms of environmental consequences may be the rejection of the construction of the Mongolian hydroelectric power station, since other options for energy supply to the developing economy of the country will have even more profound environmental consequences. To assess and forecast possible changes in landscapes in the Selenga River basin, trends in vegetation indices (NDVI and EVI) and indicators of primary vegetation production (NPP) for 2000-2024, obtained using MOD13Q1 space monitoring data, were used. General background of landscape dynamics of the Selenga River basin. Selenga at this stage of climate change (after 2015 the humidification cycle started) in the main areas of the project implementation (steppe, dry steppe and desert) is positive: the impact of the construction of the Egiin-Gol hydroelectric power station on the landscapes of the Selenga River basin is local, and on Lake Baikal it is minimal.