This project bundles four small run-of-river hydro power stations in Sichuan Province, western China. The project displaces electricity generated by fossil-fuel power plants and will generate emission reductions of an estimated 360,000 tCO2 equivalent between 2006 and 2012, verified and certified to the Voluntary Carbon Standard.
Project Partner
South Pole Carbon Asset Management
Sichuan Province Hydro Power Project
The project is located in southern Sichuan Province, a remote and mountainous region of China with much untapped potential for hydro power projects. The four run-of-river power plants have a total capacity of 17.15 MW. The clean electricity delivered to the local grid displaces electricity that would otherwise have been generated by fossil-fuel power stations.
The project brings benefits besides that of climate change mitigation. Most of China’s electricity demand is met by coal-fired power stations and these create local atmospheric pollution and issues with the disposal of ash. The construction and on-going operation of the four hydro power plants creates jobs and contributes to the local economy through the improvement of local infrastructure. The projects also help address the shortfall of electricity available on the regional grid, with benefits to local households and businesses.
Renewable energy projects are rarely the least cost option for electricity provision. However, through the sale of carbon credits such projects can start to pay for themselves and this is where funds generated by The CarbonNeutral Company’s climate change programmes play their part.