Hydro-electricity in China

In Zhoubai, Qianjiang District in the Sichuan Province

This project is a new reservoir hydro-electric plant which has a total installed capacity of 22 megawatts. The renewable electricity generated is exported to the South China Power Grid. This fits with our commitment to switch to renewable energy sources for our own consumption.

“During the stakeholder consultation which EcoSecurities conducted with individuals living in the local community, 100% of respondents indicated that the Zhoubai hydro-electricity project would have a positive impact on the local ecology, environment, and employment opportunities.”

Niall Thorburn, Commercialisation Manager at EcoSecurities

This project is fully operational, registered and verified in September 2007 under the Voluntary Carbon Standard. It was verified by SGS, a UN authorised Designated Operational Entity (DOE).

This project complies with the additionality criteria of the Clean Development Mechanism. It would not have occurred without the revenue created through selling emission reduction credits. To prevent double counting, offsets are permanently retired and cannot be re-sold or transferred.

Investing in clean technologies in developing and non-Western economies is one of the key drivers to the Kyoto Protocol. Climate change is a global phenomenon and so it does not matter where an emission reduction is achieved, so long as it is independently verified as being real and additional.

This project will save approximately 58,000 tonnes of carbon a year

We will be purchasing 3,000 tonnes of carbon in 2009

Waste heat recovery improves energy efficiency and reduces carbon emissions.

Benefits

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by diversifying electricity generation away from diesel and coal
Facilitate clean technology transfer to China
Help to meet growing regional energy demands
Provide permanent employment to 33 people

VCS

The Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) was jointly developed by The Climate Group, the International Emissions Trading Association and the World Economic Forum Global Greenhouse Register. VCS is a recognisable and reliable independent standard for Verified Emission Reductions.

SGS

SGS is a UN authorised Designated Operational Entity (DOE) with more than 200 experienced validation and verification staff operating in over 1,000 locations in 140 countries. SGS has extensive experience of verification from the EU ETS, CCAR, voluntary projects and other schemes. www.sgs.com

Additionality

Additionality is an assessment of whether a project would have been developed without carbon finance in a ‘business as usual scenario’. An additional project is one that would not have taken place without the revenue created through selling emission reduction credits.

The Clean Development Mechanism additionality tool ensures that projects would not have occurred without the revenue created through selling emission reduction credits. It requires compliance with the following three criteria:

Investment Analysis: to ensure that the project is not financially viable in its own right and would not take place without carbon finance.
Barrier Analysis: to ensure that the project overcomes specific non-financial barriers to development, that would normally prevent the project taking place without carbon finance.
Common Practice Analysis: demonstrating that the project activity is not commonly practiced in the region. Specific distinctions must be demonstrated between the project and any similar projects.

http://cdm.unfccc.int

The Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions .These amount to an average 5% reduction against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008 to 2012.