Highlights CDM Executive Board, 51st meeting

Copenhagen, 4 December 2009 – At its last meeting of the year, the Executive Board managed to come to a final decision on several project cases, including 10 wind farm projects that have been the subject of considerable interest by clean development mechanism (CDM) stakeholders. The Board decided to reject the 10 projects, citing a lack of sufficient information in support of the projects’ claims of additionality. Under the CDM, projects must produce emission reductions that are additional to what would have occurred without the project. In the case of the 10 wind projects, the Board highlighted concerns over the prices paid to the projects for the electricity produced. These so-called tariffs are revenue for the projects and, as such, factor in the financial viability of the projects, and thus the determination of additionality. The cases were of special interest to CDM stakeholders because similar questions over tariffs could be raised about other projects that feed electricity to a power grid. The Board stressed that wind, an important renewable energy source, is still eligible under the CDM and projects continue to be registered. The Board considers projects on a case-by-case basis, and the Board members restricted their consideration to the merits of the cases before them, according to the rules laid down by the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and the Board. In other business, the Board decided to lift the suspension of designated operational entity SGS United Kingdom Ltd., on the recommendation of the Board’s Accreditation Panel. At its 49th meeting, the Board decided to suspend the certifier as a DOE for CDM until identified non-conformities with accreditation requirements were corrected. The Board has also published a revised, updated version of its validation and verification manual (VVM). VVM ver. 1.1 is annexed to the meeting report. See link below. For a full report of the meeting see <https://cdm.unfccc.int/EB/index.html>. For further information contact David Abbass <dabbass@unfccc.int>, CDM Public Information Officer, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat, Bonn, Germany. About the Kyoto Protocol’s clean development mechanism The CDM allows emission-reduction projects in developing countries to earn certified emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2. CERs can be traded and sold, and used by industrialized countries to meet a part of their targets under the Protocol. The CDM assists countries in achieving sustainable development and emission reductions, while giving industrialized countries some flexibility in how they meet their emission targets. --------------------------------- Annexes to the report: --------------------------------- Membership issues Annex 1 - Documents related to conflict of interest Accreditation Annex 2 - Implementation plan of the policy framework to monitor performance and address non-compliance by designated operational entities Annex 3 - CDM validation and verification manual (Version 01.1) Methodologies Annex 4 - AM0084 - “Installation of cogeneration system supplying electricity and chilled water to new and existing consumers” (version 01) Annex 5 - AM0085 - “Co-firing of biomass residues for electricity generation in grid connected power plants” (version 01) Annex 6 - AM0036 - “Fuel switch from fossil fuels to biomass residues in heat generation equipment” (version 03) Annex 7 - AM0069 - “Biogenic methane use as feedstock and fuel for town gas production” (version 02) Annex 8 - AM0074 - “Methodology for new grid connected power plants using permeate gas previously flared and/or vented” (version 02) Annex 9 - AM0079 - “Recovery of SF6 from gas insulated electrical equipment in testing facilities” (version 02) Annex 10 - ACM0012 - “Consolidated baseline methodology for GHG emission reductions from waste energy recovery projects” (version 03.2) Annex 11 - Priorities of the work of the Board on methodological issues Annex 12 - Clarification to AM0034 (version 02): Catalytic reduction of N2O inside the ammonia burner of nitric acid plants CDM afforestation and reforestation project activities Annex 13 - Guidelines on conditions under which increase in GHG emissions related to displacement of pre-project grazing activities in A/R CDM project activity is insignificant Annex 14 - Guidelines on conditions under which increase in GHG emissions attributable to displacement of pre-project crop cultivation activities in A/R CDM project activity is insignificant Annex 15 - A/R Methodological Tool “Estimation of the increase in GHG emissions attributable to displacement of pre-project agricultural activities in A/R CDM project activity” Issues relating to small-scale CDM project activities Annex 16 - AMS-II.D. Energy efficiency and fuel switching measures for industrial facilities (version 12) Annex 17 - AMS-III.Q. Waste energy recovery (gas/heat/pressure) projects (version 03) Annex 18 - AMS-II.G. Energy efficiency measures in thermal applications of non-renewable biomass (version 02) Annex 19 - AMS-I.C. Thermal energy production with or without electricity (version 16) Matters relating to the registration of CDM project activities Annex 20 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 1422 Annex 21 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 1965 Annex 22 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2483 Annex 23 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2563 Annex 24 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2580 Annex 25 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2584 Annex 26 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2586 Annex 27 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2587 Annex 28 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2589 Annex 29 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2593 Annex 30 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2604 Annex 31 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2609 Annex 32 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2615 Annex 33 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2617 Annex 34 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2628 Annex 35 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2630 Annex 36 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2646 Annex 37 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2666 Annex 38 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2674 Annex 39 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2677 Annex 40 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2680 Annex 41 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2685 Annex 42 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2697 Annex 43 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2725 Annex 44 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2730 Annex 45 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2731 Annex 46 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2732 Annex 47 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2733 Annex 48 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2735 Annex 49 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2813 Annex 50 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2895 Annex 51 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 1168 Annex 52 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 1895 Annex 53 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2223 Annex 54 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2462 Annex 55 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2532 Annex 56 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2537 Annex 57 - Scope of review (registration) - Project 2566 Annex 58 - Guidelines on the assessment of investment analysis (version 03) Annex 59 - Previous rulings related to the appropriateness of benchmarks for project activities utilizing waste heat/waste gas for power generation Matters relating to the issuance of CERs and the CDM registry Annex 60 - Scope of reviews (issuance) - Project 0256 Annex 61 - Scope of reviews (issuance) - Project 0908 Annex 62 - Scope of reviews (issuance) - Project 1238 Annex 63 - Scope of reviews (issuance) - Project 1428 Management plan and resources for the work on the CDM Annex 64 - Status of resources Other matters Annex 65 - Provisional agenda for EB52 ------------------------------------------------------------ CDM Website Survey ------------------------------------------------------------ The aim of our survey is to improve the content and functionality of the CDM website. 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