New International Projects to Address Global Warming
© Environment News Service (ENS) 1999
November 12, 1999
WASHINGTON, DC, November 12, 1999 (ENS) - Renewable energy and energy efficiency are the common elements in four new projects approved in October by the U.S. Initiative on Joint Implementation. This agency works internationally to encourage the broader use of energy efficiency, new technologies, and sustainable development with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas production and preventing global warming.
The U.S. Initiative on Joint Implementation (USIJI) approved four projects that employ a range of renewable energy, forestry, and energy efficiency technologies. With the inclusion of a cement energy efficiency project in El Salvador, there are now USIJI projects located in every country in Central America.
Established in 1993 as part of the President Bill Clinton’s Climate Change Action Plan, the USIJI encourages U.S. businesses and nongovernmental organizations to use their resources and innovative technologies and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable development worldwide. Such partnerships offer the potential to achieve greater and more cost effective emission reductions worldwide than would be possible in each country alone.
The initiative now includes 40 projects in 19 countries, representing a diversity of technologies that range from forestry conservation practices to power plant conversions. The projects are reviewed and selected by an evaluation panel comprised of senior representatives from eight federal agencies and cochaired by the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The newest undertakings are detailed below.
CESSA Cement Energy Efficiency Project - El Salvador
This project consists of two parts: the construction of a new dry type cement kiln for clinker (a cement-based product) production, and reforestation of land owned by CESSA, a cement manufacturer. The project will result in a more efficient cement production yield with reductions in CO2, emissions due to reduced fuel oil combustion.
Over the estimated 12 year project life, the reductions due to the new kiln will be approximately 909,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. The additional carbon sequestered by reforestation will be equivalent to approximately 14,600 metric tons of CO2 for a total of approximately 923,600 metric tons CO2.
The project’s partners are The Center for Sustainable Development in the Americas, based in Washington, D.C., and Cemento de El Salvador, S.A. de CV. (CESSA), based in El Salvador.
The Rio Hondo II Project - Guatemala
A hydroelectric power plant will be constructed on the Rio Hondo River, east of Guatemala City. Total capacity of the proposed plant will be 40MW (megawatts). The plant will produce approximately 136 GWh (gigawatt hour)/year of electricity. The plant will displace generation from less efficient fossil fuel plants that use bunker fuel, diesel fuel or coal.
Avoided emissions are estimated to be 135,000 metric tons of CO2 per year for a net project total of about 2.6 million metric tons over a 20-year project life. The proposed operation start date is January 2002. U.S. partner Enron international of Houston, Texas is working with S.D. Rio Hondo of South America, based in Guatemala City.
The Central Selva Climate Action Project - Peru
This is a comprehensive carbon sequestration project involving forest protection, and reforestation of degraded lands. The preservation component seeks to prevent clearing of 103,660 hectares of forest and natural shrub lands for conversion to agriculture, and reforestation will occur on 2,600 hectares of already degraded land. Total projected benefits amount to approximately 13.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over a 30 year project life.
Agroforestry will be promoted in surrounding forested lands through technical assistance in sustainable forestry, fire control and community education. The Nature Conservancy of Arlington, Virginia, is working with Fundacion Pro Naturaleza of Peru on this project to protect and restore the Peruvian rainforests.
Energy Efficient Street Lighting Project - The Philippines
This project will convert existing municipal lighting fixtures in the city of Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao, Philippines, from mercury vapor (MV) lamps to high pressure sodium (HPS) technology. HPS lamps consume on average 45 percent less electricity than MV lamps of equal light output. A total of 4,604 lamps will be converted.
This retrofit is anticipated to save about 1.8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year that would have been supplied by power generated at fossil fuel power plants. Over the project lifetime of 25 years, the project will save about 35,000 metric tons of C02 emissions. The International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC), based in Washington, D.C., is partnering with Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company (CEPALCO) in the Philippines.