Today, UPM’s “Xinyang MSW Landfill Site LFG Recovery to Power Gold Standard VER Project“ (GS ID 1253) has had its first carbon credit issuance with roundabout 59 k Gold Standard VERs. The project which is owned by Shanghai Baichuan Changyin Co., Ltd (BCCY) has been validated by Germanischer Lloyd Certification GmbH and has been registered with the Gold Standard on 03.01.2013. It aims to recover and destroy landfill gas generated at the municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill site located in Xinyang city, Henan province (China). The collected LFG will be used for electricity production.

The Xinyang LFG project will deploy a gas collection, transmitting and pre-treatment system as well as gas engines with a capacity of 2 MW. The recovered LFG will be combusted in the gas engines to produce electricity which will be fed into the Central China Power Grid (CCPG) afterwards. GHG emission reductions will be claimed from both methane recovery and the replacement of electricity mainly generated by the utilization of fossil fuels.

It is estimated that during the 10 years crediting period the project activity will destroy 21,259 tons of methane and replace 117,000 MWh of electricity otherwise generated via fossil fuel combustion: this will mean a potential GHG reduction of approximately 420,000 t CO2e. In addition to the reduction of GHG emissions, the project also provides the following sustainability benefits to the local community and beyond:

Economic Benefits: By replacing Central China Power Grid (CCPG) electricity based on fossil fuel use, the project activity allows to reduce China’s dependency on fossil energy sources and contributes to stabilizing power supply for businesses and private households in the project area.

Social Benefits: The project activity is expected to increase job opportunities by way of creating 15 new posts available to local residents during both construction and operation of the power plant. Furthermore, the LFG project reduces potential dangers of fire and explosion on the landfill site by recovering the LFG. This enhances the safety conditions of the landfill site.

Environmental Benefits: The proposed project activity will reduce air pollution by destroying LFG which contains H2S, thus avoiding unbearable H2S odours. As a consequence, the living conditions of the neighbourhood are improved considerably.

Technological Benefits: By promoting LFG recovery and utilization, the proposed project activity provides a tangible demonstration of successful application of this technology in China.

For further information on the Xinyang LFG project and the availability of its high quality Gold Standard VERs, please contact:

Henning Huenteler, General Manager, UPM China
hhuenteler(at)upm-cdm.eu, T: +86 10 6468 0500-16

or

Martin Dilger, Managing Director, UPM GmbH Germany
mdilger(at)upm-cdm.eu, T: +49 89 414196-91

For Gold Standard information and related documentation about this project, please visit the public Markit Environmental Registry project entry.