Gansu Yongchang County Donghewan Cascaded Hydropower Project

Audit Analysis

A CDM small-scale hydropower project in Gansu, China, verified by Applus+LGAI over a 7-year crediting period (2017–2024), with 413,644 tCO₂e credits issued. The project is undermined by significant contradictions between the validation and monitoring reports on the grid emission factor (a factor-of-two discrepancy), the baseline method, and the leakage justification, raising material over-crediting risk. Additionality verification, permanence safeguards, and grievance mechanisms are not explicitly documented in the available record.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Grid emission factor differs by a factor of two between the validation report (0.47355 tCO₂/MWh) and the monitoring report (0.9457 tCO₂/MWh), directly affecting the magnitude of all issued credits
• ⚠Baseline method is described as 'jurisdictional' in the validation report but 'project-specific' in the monitoring report, creating ambiguity about the robustness of the baseline
• ⚠Leakage justification is inconsistent: the validation report states leakage was 'deemed negligible' while the monitoring report states it was 'quantified', yet both result in a 0% deduction
• ⚠Additionality test type and VVB confirmation of additionality are not stated in any available document
• ⚠No buffer pool, reversal-event tracking, or permanence risk mitigation is documented for a project whose physical asset (dam) is subject to failure or drought risk

Credit Vintages