Small-Scale Programme of Activities Design Document (CDM-PoA-DD-SSC)

The project design document for a Programme of Activities (PoA) whose CDM Programme Activities (CPAs) apply a small scale (SSC) approved methodology (CDM-SSC-PoA-DD) is divided into 5 sections:

General description of small-scale programme of activities (SSC-PoA);
duration of the SSC-PoA;
Environmental Analysis;
Stakeholder comments; and
Application of a baseline and monitoring methodology to a typical small-scale CDM Programme Activity (SSC-CPA).

At the time of requesting registration this form must be accompanied by:

a CDM-SSC-CPA-DD form that has been specified for the proposed PoA; and
one completed CDM-SSC-CPA-DD (using a real case).

The Executive Board has not yet adopted any guidelines for completing the CDM-SSC-PoA-DD.

Section A - General description of the SSC-PoA

A.1 Title of the SSC-PoA

Project participants must record the title of the SSC-PoA.

A.2 Description of the SSC-PoA

The description of the SSC-PoA must include:

Information regarding the general operating and implementing framework of the SSC-PoA;
Information regarding the policy / measure or stated goal of the SSC-PoA; and
Confirmation that the proposed SSC-PoA is a voluntary action by the coordinating / managing entity.

A.3 Coordinating/managing entity and participants of SSC-POA

This section must contain information identifying the:

coordinating or managing entity of the SSC-PoA, being a project participant authorised by all participating host country DNAs which communicates with the Executive Board, including on matters relating to the distribution of CERs (EB 32, Annex 38).
project participants being registered in relation to the SSC-PoA. Project participants may or may not be involved in one of the SSC-CPAs related to the SSC-PoA.

A.4 Technical description of the SSC-PoA

A.4.1 Location of the PoA:

This section must:

Describe the host Party(ies) participating in the SSC-PoA; and
Define the geographical boundary of the SSC-PoA by describing the geographical area (e.g. municipality, region within a country or country(ies)) within which all SSC-CPAs included in the PoA will be implemented. Definition of this boundary must take into consideration all applicable national and/or sectoral policies and regulations of each host country.

The boundary for a PoA (including a SSC-PoA) is defined in the CDM Glossary of Terms, Version 03 as follows:

Definition of the boundary for the PoA is the geographical area (e.g. municipality, region within a country, country or several countries) within which all CDM programme activities (CPAs) included in the PoA will be implemented, taking into consideration the requirement that all applicable national and/or sectoral policies and regulations of each host country within that chosen boundary.

The physical boundary of a PoA may extend to more than one country provided that each participating non-annex I host Party provides confirmation that the PoA, and thereby all CPAs, assists it in achieving sustainable development.

A.4.2 Description of a typical SSC-CPA:

This section must describe a typical SSC-CPA, including a description of:

The technology or measures to be employed by the SSC-CPA; and
The eligibility criteria for enrolling a SSC-CPA in the SSC-PoA. (This section does not need to discuss the criteria for demonstrating additionality of the CPA, which is discussed instead in section E.5).

A.4.3 Description of how the anthropogenic emissions of GHG by sources are reduced by a SSC-CPA below those that would have occurred in the absence of the registered PoA (assessment and demonstration of additionality)

In order to prove the additionality of each SSC-CPA (and therefore of the SSC-PoA as a whole), the following must be demonstrated in this section:

That the proposed SSC-PoA is a voluntary, coordinated action;
If the SSC-PoA is implementing a voluntary, coordinated action, that that action would not be implemented in the absence of the SSC-PoA;
If the SSC-PoA is implementing a mandatory policy or regulation, that this policy or regulation would not be or is not enforced;
If the mandatory policy or regulation involved has in the past been enforced, that the SSC-PoA will lead to a greater level of enforcement.

More information on the demonstration of additionality is contained in the additionality section.

A.4.4. Operational, management and monitoring plan for the SSC-PoA

A.4.4.1 Operational and management plan

The coordinating / managing entity is required to establish operational and management arrangements for the implementation of the SSC-PoA. In this section the project participants must describe the proposed operational and management plan in detail including the proposed:

record keeping system for each SSC-CPA under the SSC-PoA;
system or procedure to avoid double accounting (e.g. to avoid the situation where a new SSC-CPA is added to the SSC-PoA which has already been registered either as an individual SSC CDM Project Activity or a SSC-CPA of a different SSC-PoA) (EB 32, Annex 38);
provisions to ensure that the SSC-CPA included in the SSC-PoA is not a de-bundled component of another SSC-CPA or SSC CDM Project Activity; and

provisions to ensure that those operating the SSC-CPA are aware and have agreed that their activity is being subscribed to the SSC-PoA.

A.4.4.2 Monitoring plan:

The coordinating / managing entity must choose a method or approach to be used by Designated Operational Entities (DOEs) to verify the emission reductions achieved by SSC-CPAs under the SSC-PoA. That method or approach may involve random sampling to avoid the need to verify each SSC-CPA.

If the verification method selected involves random sampling, this section must describe the proposed statistically sound sampling method or procedure that has been selected.

If the verification method selected does not involve random sampling, but instead verifies each SSC-CPA (whether in groups or not and whether or not different or identical verification periods are involved), this section must define and describe:

the transparent verification system that has been selected;
how that system ensures that no double accounting occurs; and
how that system ensures that the status of verification can be confirmed at any time for each SSC-CPA.

A.4.5 Public funding of the SSC-PoA

In this section, the project participants are required to describe any sources of public funding for the SSC-PoA.

Section B - Duration of the SSC-PoA

B.1 Starting date of the SSC-PoA

Project participants must set out the starting date for the SSC-PoA here.

Starting date for a SSC-CPA is defined as follows:

The starting date of a CDM programme activity [SSC-CPA] is the earliest date at which either the implementation or construction or real action of a programme activity [SSC-CPA] begins. The starting date of the CPA cannot be before the date of registration of the PoA (CDM Glossary of Terms, Version 03).

B.2 Length of the SSC-PoA

CDM Glossary of Terms, Version 03 provides:

The duration of a [SSC-]PoA shall be defined by the entity at the time of request for registration of the PoA.

Section C - Environmental analysis

C.1 Please indicate the level at which environmental analysis as per requirements of the CDM modalities and procedures is undertaken. Justify the choice of level at which the environmental analysis is undertaken

In this section, the project participants must indicate whether environmental analysis is to be undertaken:

at the PoA level; or
at the CPA level,

and must justify why that level of analysis was chosen.

C.2 Documentation on the analysis of the environmental impacts, including transboundary impacts:

The project participants must provide separate documentation detailing the likely environmental impacts of the project in the host country and elsewhere. This must be attached to the CDM-SSC-PoA-DD.

C.3 Please state whether in accordance with the host Party laws/regulations, an environmental impact assessment is required for a typical SSC-CPA, included in the SSC-PoA

The project participants must state whether host Party law or regulation requires an environmental impact assessment for a typical SSC-CPA which is included in the SSC-PoA.

Section D – Stakeholders' comments

Stakeholders are defined in the CDM Glossary of Terms, Version 03, as follows:

Stakeholders mean the public, including individuals, groups or communities affected, or likely to be affected, by the proposed CDM project activity or actions leading to the implementation of such an activity.

D.1 Please indicate the level at which local stakeholder comments are invited. Justify the choice.

The project participants must nominate whether stakeholder comments were invited:

at the PoA level; or
at the CPA level,

and must justify why that selection was made.

If local stakeholder consultation was conducted at PoA level, the project participants must include:

information regarding the number of comments that were invited from local stakeholders;
a summary of the comments received; and
the way in which due account was taken of any comments received

in sections D.2 to D.4 below.

D.2 Brief description how comments by local stakeholders have been invited and compiled

In this section, the project participants must describe the process by which comments from local stakeholders have been invited and compiled.

D.3 Summary of the comments received

The project participants must summarise here the comments received during the consultation process.

D.4 Report on how due account was taken of any comments received

The project participants must report here on the way in which due account was taken of comments it received as part of the stakeholder consultation process.

Section E - Application of a baseline and monitoring methodology

This section must demonstrate the application of the baseline and monitoring methodology for a typical SSC-CPA. The information provided below defines the PoA specific elements that are to be included in preparing the CDM-SSC-CPA-DD form to add a SSC-CPA to this SSC-PoA.

E.1 Title and reference of the approved SSC baseline and monitoring methodology applied to a SSC-CPA included in the SSC-PoA

The project participants must state the approved methodology applying to the project. The SSC baseline and monitoring methodology chosen must be approved for use in a SSC-PoA by the Executive Board.

E.2 Justification of the choice of the methodology and why it is applicable to a SSC-CPA

The justification for selecting the chosen methodology must be detailed here.

Note: In the case of CPAs which individually do not exceed the SSC threshold, SSC methodologies may be used once they have first been reviewed and, as needed, revised to account for leakage in the context of a SSC-CPA.

E.3 Description of the sources and gases included in the SSC-CPA boundary

The project participants are required to identify the SSC-CPA boundary and describe the sources within it.

The SSC-CPA project boundary is defined as follows:

The project boundary shall encompass all anthropogenic emissions by sources of greenhouse gases under the control of the project participants that are reasonably attributable to the small-scale CPA, in accordance with the provisions of Appendix B for the relevant project category.

The project boundary shall be limited to the physical project activity. Project activities that displace energy supplied by external sources shall earn certified emission reductions (CERs) for the emission reductions associated with the reduced supply of energy by those external sources (CDM Glossary of Terms, Version 03).

In identifying the project boundary, project participants will be able to identify and describe the sources and gases within it, as required by the CDM-SSC-PoA-DD.

E.4 Description of how the baseline scenario is identified and description of the identified baseline scenario:

The baseline scenario must be identified and described here.

The baseline scenario for a CPA is defined as follows:

The scenario that reasonably represents the anthropogenic emissions by sources of greenhouse gases (GHG) that would occur in the absence of the proposed project activity. A baseline shall cover emissions from all gases, sectors and source categories listed in Annex A (of the Kyoto Protocol) within the project boundary. A baseline shall be deemed to reasonably represent the anthropogenic emissions by sources that would occur in the absence of the proposed project activity if it is derived using a baseline methodology referred to in paragraphs 37 and 38 of the CDM modalities and procedures.

Different scenarios may be elaborated as potential evolutions of the situation existing before the proposed CDM project activity. The continuation of a current activity could be one of them; implementing the proposed project activity may be another; and many others could be envisaged. Baseline methodologies shall require a narrative description of all reasonable baseline scenarios.

To elaborate the different scenarios, different elements shall be taken into consideration, including related guidance issued by the Executive Board. For instance, the project participants shall take into account national / sectoral policies and circumstances, ongoing technological improvements, investment barriers, etc (CDM Glossary of Terms, Version 03).

E.5 Description of how the anthropogenic emissions of GHG by sources are reduced below those that would have occurred in the absence of the SSC-CPA being included as registered PoA (assessment and demonstration of additionality of SSC-CPA)

The project participants must, in this section, demonstrate the additionality of the project.

E.5.1 Assessment and demonstration of additionality for a typical SSC-CPA

Here, the project participants must demonstrate the additionality of a typical SSC-CPA using the procedure provided in the baseline and monitoring methodology that has been selected for the SSC-CPA.

E.5.2 Key criteria and data for assessing additionality of a SSC-CPA

In this section, the project participants must:

outline the key criteria for assessing the additionality of a SSC-CPA which is proposed to be included in the registered SSC-PoA. The criteria must be based on the additionality assessment undertaken in E.5.1 above;
justify the choice of criteria based on analysis in the above section; and
demonstrate how these criteria would be applied to the additionality of a typical SSC-CPA at the time of inclusion.

NB: The information which is provided in this section must be incorporated into the PoA specific CDM-SSC-CPA-DD that is to be included in documentation submitted by project participants at registration of the SSC-PoA.

E.6 Estimation of Emission reductions of a CPA

E.6.1 Explanation of methodological choices, provided in the approved baseline and monitoring methodology applied, selected for a typical SSC-CPA:

Project participants must explain here how the procedures in the methodology to calculate project emissions, baseline emissions, leakage emissions and emission reductions are applied a typical SSC-CPA.

E.6.2 Equations, including fixed parametric values, to be used for calculation of emission reductions of a SSC-CPA:

Project participants must state in this section the equations which will be used in calculating emission reductions.

E.6.3 Data and parameters that are to be reported in CDM-SSC-CPA-DD form:

The data used for calculations must be set out in a tabular format, as shown here:

Data / Parameter:
Data unit:
Description:
Source of data used:
Value applied:
Justification of the choice of data or description of measurement methods and procedures actually applied:
Any comment:

E.7 Application of the monitoring methodology and description of the monitoring plan

Specific information on each data and parameter monitored by is also required. The data required should be presented in the table below:

E.7.1 Data and parameters to be monitored by each SSC-CPA:
(Copy this table for each data and parameter)
Data / Parameter:
Data unit:
Description:
Source of data to be used:
Value of data applied for the purpose of calculating expected emission reductions in section E.5
Description of measurement methods and procedures to be applied:	In this section the project participants shall provide description of equipment used for measurement, if applicable, and its accuracy class.
QA/QC procedures to be applied:
Any comment:

E.7.2 Description of the monitoring plan for a SSC-CPA:

Project participants are required to describe the proposed monitoring plan in detail.

E.8 Date of completion of the application of the baseline study and monitoring methodology and the name of the responsible person(s)/entity(ies)

This section must outline the date of completion of the application of the baseline study and monitoring methodology and the name of the responsible person(s) or entity(ies).

Attachments to the CDM-SSC-PoA-DD

The CDM-SSC-PoA-DD must attach:

Annex 1 - Contact information on coordinating / managing entity and participants in the PoA;
Annex 2 - Information on public funding;
Annex 3 - Baseline information; and
Annex 4 - Monitoring information.