Version 01.0
Date: 1–3 December, 9–11 December, and 14 December 2020
Venue: Virtual
1. Due to travel restrictions and guidance from health authorities, the Executive Board of the clean development mechanism (CDM) (hereinafter referred to as the Board) met virtually.
2. Mr. El Hadji Mbaye Diagne, Chair of the Board, opened the meeting and asserted that the quorum requirement was met.
3. Table 1 below presents the attendance of members and alternate members at the meeting. The names of members and alternate members present at the meeting are in bold print.
Table 1. Attendance*
Members |
Alternates |
Mr. Omar Alcockb |
Mr. Amjad Abdullab |
Mr. El Hadji Mbaye Diagnea |
Mr. Rachid Tahiria |
Mr. Piotr Dombrowickib |
Ms. Anna Romanovskayab |
Ms. Diana Harutyunyanb |
Ms. Natalie Kushkob |
Mr. Olivier Kassia |
Mr. Frank Wolkea |
Mr. José Domingos Gonzalez Miguezb |
Ms. Asmau Jibrilb |
Mr. Lambert Schneidera |
Mr. Kazunari Kainoua |
Mr. Muhammad Tariqb | Mr. Kamal Djemouaib |
Mr. Spencer Linus Thomasa |
Mr. Eduardo Calvoa |
Mr. Sirous Vatankhaha |
Mr. Nurul Quadira |
* In view of the postponement of the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 16) to 2021, the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, on 25 August 2020, decided to extend the current membership of the Convention, Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement bodies, as needed, until successors can be appointed or elected (https://unfccc.int/news/bureau-confirms-criteria-to-advance-the-unfccc-process). In accordance with rule 4 of the rules of procedure of the Board (decision 4/CMP.1, annex I), the members and alternate members shall remain in office until their successors are elected.
(a) Term: Two years, i.e. starting the first meeting in 2019.
(b) Term: Two years, i.e. starting the first meeting in 2020.
4. The Board adopted the agenda of the meeting with the addition of the following items:
5. The Board considered information provided by members and alternate members with respect to any potential conflict of interest.
6. The Board considered the implications of the postponement of CMP 16 on the operations of the CDM after the second commitment period and decided to make a recommendation to the CMP, as contained in annex 1 to this report.
7. The Board agreed, as temporary measures pending CMP guidance at CMP 16:
8. The Board agreed, as further temporary measures pending CMP guidance at CMP 16:
9. The Board requested the secretariat to prepare a document to clarify the application of the temporary measures for consideration by the Board at EB 109.
10. The Board considered a request for information received from the ICAO related to Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and agreed to consider it at its next meeting and to respond accordingly.
11. The Board took note of an update on the latest carbon market and policy developments.
12. Due to time constraints, the Board could not consider the proposed promotional activities for the United Nations Online Platform for Voluntary Cancellation of CERs and agreed to consider them in 2021.
13. The Board considered its annual report to the CMP at its sixteenth session and agreed to continue its consideration at its next meeting.
14. The Board took note of the update on the status of the work of the Board, noting the changes highlighted in its workplan for 2020.
15. The Board took note of the synthesis report of the DOEs' annual activity reports, covering the period from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020. The Board also took note that the synthesis report will be made available on the UNFCCC CDM website.1
16. The Board took note of the resignation of Mr. Gilberto Caldeira Bandeira de Melo from the Methodologies Panel (MP), effective 13 October 2020. The Board agreed not to appoint a new member to the vacant seat for the remainder of the term. The Board expressed its deep appreciation to Mr. de Melo for more than 16 years of his contributions to the work of the MP and Small-Scale Working Group.
17. The Board took note that no report of the CDM Accreditation Panel was to be considered at this meeting.
18. The Board took note of the report of the 83rd meeting of the MP and the electronic consultation reports CDM-MP83-EC01 and CDM-MP83-EC02. The reports summarized information relating to the work of the MP, including submissions of methodologies and recommendations to the Board. The decisions of the Board related to the recommendations of the MP are contained under agenda item 4. "Regulatory matters".
19. The Board took note that no accreditation case-specific issues were to be considered at this meeting.
20. The Board noted that 7,846 CDM project activities have been registered as at 14 December 2020. The status of requests for registration of project activities can be viewed on the UNFCCC CDM website.2
21. The Board noted that 337 CDM PoAs have been registered as at 14 December 2020 and that under these PoAs, 2,673 component project activities have been included. The status of requests for registration of PoAs can be viewed on the UNFCCC CDM website.3
22. The Board noted that 2,067,534,653 CERs have been issued for CDM project activities and that 33,218,886 CERs have been issued for PoAs as at 14 December 2020. The status of CERs issued can be viewed on the UNFCCC CDM website.4
23. The Board noted that 63,515,166 CERs (CERs/temporary CERs/long-term CERs) have been voluntarily cancelled as at 14 December 2020. Out of these, 2,378,108 CERs were voluntarily cancelled using the online platform for voluntary cancellation of CERs. The status of CERs voluntarily cancelled can be viewed on the UNFCCC CDM website.5
24. In accordance with the "CDM project cycle procedure for programmes of activities” (PCP-PoA), the Board considered the request for review for inclusion of a component project activity CPA 9863-P1-0004-CP1 "CPA004: Chennai Metro Rail Limited Corridor 1 Extension, Corridor 3, Corridor 4 and Corridor 5 under MRTS PoA" under registered PoA 9863 "The MRTS PoA", included by the DOE E-0051 "KBS Certification Services Pvt. Ltd." (KBS). The Board agreed that the temporary measures as defined under paragraphs 7 and 9 above will be applied.
25. In accordance with the PCP-PoA, the Board considered the request for review for inclusion of a component project activity 10494-P1-0001-CP1 "SSC CPA 1" under registered PoA 10494 "PROGRAM OF PHOTOVOLTAIC INCENTIVES OF COLOMBIA", included by the DOE E-0066 "Earthood Services Private Limited" (Earthood). The Board agreed that the temporary measures as defined under paragraphs 7 and 9 above will be applied.
26. In accordance with the PCP-PoA, the Board considered one request for renewal of PoA period, for which assessments of the secretariat and the Registration and Issuance Team contained different proposed decisions, or the proposed decisions were the same but an objection was received from a member of the Board. The Board decided not to approve the request for renewal of PoA period of the PoA "Distribution of fuel-efficient improved cooking stoves in Nigeria" (PoA 6283), submitted by the DOE E-0052 "Carbon Check (India) Private Ltd." (Carbon Check).
27. In accordance with the “CDM project cycle procedure for project activities”, the Board considered 11 requests for renewal of crediting period for project activities, as listed below. The Board agreed that the temporary measures as defined under paragraphs 7 and 9 above will be applied:
28. In response to the communications from the stakeholders (see paragraph 47 below), the Board agreed to further extend the period in which DOEs may apply alternative measures of validation/verification to mandatory on-site inspections until 30 June 2021. The Board had agreed on 20 March 2020 via electronic decision-making, to the temporary deviation from requirements regarding on-site inspections by DOEs because of travel restrictions caused by COVID-19 (CDM EB 106 meeting report, paragraph 26). The Board had further agreed on 23 June 2020, via electronic decision-making, to extend the period in which DOEs may apply alternative measures of validation/verification to mandatory on-site inspections until 31 December 2020, as contained in paragraph 30 of the 107th CDM Executive Board meeting report.
29. The Board considered the concept note “Revision of the regulatory provisions on standardized baselines” and approved the "Amendments to version 02.0 of the CDM project standard for project activities on application of standardized baselines" and the "Amendments to version 02.0 of the CDM project standard for programmes of activities on application of standardized baselines" and adopted the revised “Standard: Determining coverage of data and validity of standardized baselines”, as contained in annex 2, annex 3 and annex 4 to this report respectively.
30. The Board considered the concept note “Consistent use of market penetration metrics for additionality, common practice and FOIK” and agreed to conclude the conceptual work. The Board appreciated the work undertaken and requested the MP, based on the analysis contained in the concept note and the guidance provided by the Board at this meeting, to:
31. Due to time constraints, the Board could not consider the following issues and agreed to consider them in 2021:
32. The Board took note that no new large-scale methodologies and tools were to be considered at this meeting.
33. The Board approved, as major revisions, the following revised methodologies:
34. The Board approved the responses by the MP to the following requests for clarification, as referred to in the report of the 83rd meeting of the MP:
35. The Board considered the proposed new methodology “SSC-NM105: Switch from non-renewable biomass to electricity for cooking applications by the user” which is applicable to end-users connected to an electricity grid comprising at least one fossil fuel-based electricity generation source. The Board noted that, while the CMP 3 decided (decision 2/CMP.3, paragraphs 24 and 25) that the Board may, if necessary, revise the methodologies “Switch from non-renewable biomass for thermal application by the user” and “Energy efficiency measures in thermal applications of non-renewable biomass” without the need to make recommendations to the CMP, it was not evident whether it could approve new methodologies for shifting from non-renewable biomass to fossil fuel-based energy sources for cooking. The Board agreed to seek guidance from the CMP on whether the Board may approve the proposed new methodology and to report this matter in its annual report to the CMP.
36. The Board approved, as major revisions, the following revised methodologies and tool:
37. With regard to the revision of the methodologies and tool in paragraph 36 above, the Board considered the caps recommended by the MP and agreed that additional analysis would be required and asked the MP to explore alternative options. The Board requested the MP to prepare a concept note for consideration by the Board at a future meeting.
38. The Board requested the MP to revise the methodology “AMS-III.AJ.: Recovery and recycling of materials from solid wastes” to have consistent methods to determine the emission factors associated with the consumption of fossil fuel and with the consumption of electricity in the production of virgin plastics.
39. The Board approved the responses by the MP to the following requests for clarification, as referred to in the report of the 83rd meeting of the MP:
40. While considering the concept note referred to in paragraph 29 above, the Board adopted the revised "Procedure: Development, revision, clarification and update of standardized baselines", as contained in annex 12 to this report.
41. The Board noted that there were no policy issues related to rulings at this meeting.
42. The Board took note of the external inputs received on the annotated agenda of its 108th meeting. The Board thanked the stakeholders for the inputs, which were considered by the Board under the relevant agenda items.
43. In accordance with the "Procedure: Process for dealing with letters from DNAs that withdraw approval/authorization”, the Board took note of the following withdrawal letters from the designated national authorities (DNAs):
44. The Board interacted with the DNA Forum Co-chair Mr. David Hynes (the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), via video conference, and took note of the Forum's input. The Board thanked Mr. Hynes for his input and encouraged the Forum to continue raising issues related to the Board's guidance and proposing solutions.
45. The Board interacted with the Chair of the DOE/Accredited Independent Entity Coordination Forum, Mr. Werner Betzenbichler, via video conference, and took note of the Forum's input. The Board thanked Mr. Betzenbichler for his input and encouraged the Forum to continue raising issues related to the Board's guidance and proposing solutions.
46. The Board took note of the following activities undertaken relating to stakeholders, DNAs, applicant entities and DOEs:
47. The Board considered 13 communications (INQ-10177, INQ-10189, INQ-10208, INQ-10215, INQ-10277, INQ-10284, INQ-10339, INQ-10342, INQ-10364, INQ-10368, INQ-10395, INQ-10398 and INQ-10402) submitted by stakeholders and agreed to respond to the submitters in accordance with the "Procedure: Direct communication with stakeholders".
48. The Board interacted with a registered observer, Mr. Stefano De Clara, accredited under the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA). The observer raised concerns about the lack of clarity on CDM operations that is affecting private sector entities involved in CDM operations. The Board took note of the input and thanked the observer for the interaction.
49. The Board thanked the registered observers, Mr. Lu Honghong and Mr. Pitt Yu Zhe, DNA Singapore for following the meeting. The observers did not request interaction with the Board during the meeting.
50. Observers to the 109th meeting of the Board shall register with the secretariat by 8 February 2021.
51. The Board agreed to its tentative calendar of meetings for 2021, as contained in annex 13 to this report.
52. The Board agreed to the provisional agenda for the 109th meeting, to be held virtually on 1–11 March 2021, as contained in annex 14 to this report.
53. The Board agreed that any decisions taken by the Board at this meeting are deemed to have been taken in Bonn, Germany.
54. The Board expressed its appreciation to the outgoing Chair, Mr. El Hadji Mbaye Diagne, and Vice-Chair, Mr. Olivier Kassi, for their leadership and dedication in chairing the meetings in this year.
55. The Chair summarized the main conclusions and closed the meeting.
56. Any decisions taken by the Board shall be made publicly available in accordance with paragraph 17 of the "CDM modalities and procedures" and with rule 31 of the "Rules of procedure of the Executive Board of the clean development mechanism". The proceedings of the open sessions of the meeting can be accessed via broadcast.6
Annex 1 - Recommendation to the CMP: Implications of the postponement of the CMP 16 for the operations of the CDM (version 01.0 )
Annex 2 - Standard: Amendments to version 02.0 of the CDM project standard for project activities on application of standardized baselines (version 01.0)
Annex 3 - Standard: Amendments to version 02.0 of the CDM project standard for programmes of activities on application of standardized baselines (version 01.0)
Annex 4 - Standard: Determining coverage of data and validity of standardized baselines (version 03.0)
Annex 5 - AM0036: Use of biomass in heat generation equipment (version 06.0)
Annex 6 - ACM0006: Electricity and heat generation from biomass (version 15.0)
Annex 7 - ACM0018: Electricity generation from biomass in power-only plants (version 05.0)
Annex 8 - ACM0003: Partial substitution of fossil fuels in cement or quicklime manufacture (version 09.0)
Annex 9 - AMS-I.E: Switch from non-renewable biomass for thermal application by the user (version 11.0)
Annex 10 - AMS-II.G: Energy efficiency measures in thermal applications of non-renewable biomass (version 12.0)
Annex 11 - TOOL30: Calculation of the fraction of non-renewable biomass (version 03.0)
Annex 12 - Procedure: Development, revision, clarification and update of standardized baselines (version 06.0)
Annex 13 - Tentative calendar of meetings for 2021 (version 01.0)
Annex 14 - Provisional agenda: CDM Executive Board 109th meeting (version 01.0)
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Document information
Version |
Date |
Description |
01.0 |
14 December 2020 |
CDM EB 108 meeting report Initial publication. |
Decision Class: Operational |