Doruk HPP Run-of-River Hydro Project

Audit Analysis

The Doruk HPP is a run-of-river hydro project in Turkey that displaces grid electricity (EF 0.5491 tCO2e/MWh) under VCS methodology ACM0002. Additionality was confirmed by the VVB, and the project delivered roughly 10% below its ex-ante estimate, which is a conservative outcome. However, a contradiction in the baseline method between the verification and monitoring reports, the absence of a stated additionality test type, and the lack of a buffer pool or explicit permanence mechanism limit confidence in the integrity of the credit.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Baseline method is characterised as 'project-specific' in the verification report (Dec 2022) but as 'jurisdictional' in the monitoring report (Dec 2022) — an unresolved inconsistency that affects baseline credibility.
• ⚠Additionality was confirmed by the VVB, but the specific test type (investment, regulatory, or barrier) is not stated in any available document.
• ⚠No buffer pool percentage is reported, and permanence/reversal risk is marked as 'not addressed' (though the VVB notes the project is not AFOLU).
• ⚠26 Corrective Action Requests were raised during verification (all resolved), indicating a non-trivial number of documentation or data issues that had to be corrected.

Credit Vintages