Barro Blanco Hydroelectric Power Plant Project

Audit Analysis

The Barro Blanco hydroelectric project (CDM-3237) presents severe documentation and compliance concerns: the validation report records a request to withdraw CDM registration due to reliance on an outdated 2008 Environmental Impact Study, 17 corrective actions were mandated, and four material contradictions exist between the PDD and the validation report. While the project type (hydro avoidance) carries inherently low permanence risk and additionality was confirmed by AENOR, the absence of any monitoring data, the 2.7-fold discrepancy in claimed emissions reductions, and the low extraction confidence collectively indicate a project whose claims cannot be reliably verified.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Validation report records a request to withdraw CDM registration because the PDD was based on an outdated 2008 Environmental Impact Study that ignored 2010 modifications
• ⚠Claimed emissions reductions differ by a factor of 2.7 between the PDD (1,405,622 tCO₂e) and the validation report (529,430 tCO₂e)
• ⚠17 corrective actions were required, including data inconsistencies between project spreadsheets and official CND generation records
• ⚠No monitoring report or verified emissions reductions are available for the 2013–2019 crediting period
• ⚠Leakage treatment is contradictory: the PDD deems it negligible while the validation report states it was not addressed, with a 0% deduction applied

Credit Vintages

No issuances recorded on the registry.