Understanding CDM Methodologies - SuSanA

A handful of projects have submitted requests to include new baseline
scenarios, with variable level of success (see following section on baseline
and additionality). Other projects may be diverting too much in terms of their
methodological approach and have been recommended by the MP to apply
similar, yet different methodologies than ACM0006 (see Box 43).
Revision to
include Heat only
Boilers rejected
Box 43: Fuel switch projects involving heat generation only
A request for revision 291 suggested that a project involving a fuel switch from
fossil fuel to biomass residues in a heat-only boilers be eligible under ACM0006.
The MP explained that the project was not eligible because it is not appropriate
to assume that only fossil fuel would be used in the baseline scenario, more so
considering that historically, boilers have generated heat using biomass residues.
Additionally, the proponent mentioned that the project could use different types
of biomass than biomass residues throughout the crediting period, which was
inconsistent with ACM0006. The MP recommended the project proponent to
consider using AM0036, which had specifically been created for fuel switch from
fossil fuel to biomass residues in heat-only boilers (the methodology had not
been approved when the request had been submitted). However, the MP warned
that, like ACM0006, AM0036 did not allow the use of biomass types other than
biomass residues.
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Project Boundary
Project Boundary
includes Plant,
Transport and
Waste Disposal
Site
The project boundary shall include all the sites and transportation routes
where emissions arise as a result of the project. These include the site where
the power plant or retrofit is implemented, the site where the biomass
residues are produced, the transportation routes between the site(s) where
the biomass residues are sourced and the project’s power plant, and the
site(s) where the biomass residues would have been dumped or left to decay
in the absence of the project. The project boundary should also include all
the power plants connected to the grid the project activity is connected to.
To determine the spatial extent of the project’s grid and calculate the project’s
build margin (BM) and operating margin (OM), project proponents should
refer to the latest version of ACM0002 (see section 5.2.3).
Baseline scenario and additionality
Three Elements of
Baseline Scenario:
Power, Waste
Treatment, Heat
In determining their project’s baseline scenario, project proponents should
first identify all credible alternatives with respect to:
1. How power would be generated in the project area in the absence of the
project;
2. The treatment of the biomass residues in the absence of the project;
3. How the heat the project proposes to produce would be generated in the
absence of the project (specific to cogeneration power plants).
Matrix of 20
Baseline Scenario
Options
ACM0006 provides several plausible alternative baseline scenarios for each
of the aforementioned categories. Upon identifying the most plausible
baseline alternatives for power generation, heat generation, and biomass
handling, project proponents should identify all realistic combinations of the
three. Project proponents must then verify whether the identified combined
baseline scenario is included in the list of applicable baseline scenarios found
in ACM0006. In total, ACM0006 (version 6) proposes 20 different combined
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See AM_REV_0019
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