4KES has been contracted by ‘Environmentfirst Energy Services Private Limited’ to undertake verification of the project activity “Solar power project owned by Maharashtra Seamless Limited” in India. The verification was performed based on rules and requirements defined by GCC for the project activity.

The project involves installation of 45MW_AC Solar Photovoltaic Power plant in Maharashtra and Rajasthan state of India. The electricity generated from project activity (20MW_AC in Rajasthan) is exported to third party ‘National Thermal Power Corporation’ (NTPC) through the Indian grid through a long term “power Purchase Agreement’ (PPA). The electricity generated from the Maharashtra sites (25MW_AC) will be utilized for the captive consumption through the wheeling agreement/open access approval with the Distribution Company (DISCOM). Thus the project displaces electricity from the regional grid which would have otherwise been generated by the operation of grid connected power plants and by the addition of new generation sources into the grid.

The project correctly applies the approved baseline and monitoring ACM0002 version 21.0 and is assessed against latest valid PS, VS and Environment and Social Safeguards Standard, Project-Sustainability-Standard and/or other applicable GCC/CDM Decisions/Tools/Guidance/Forms.

The project activity is likely to achieve the anticipated emission reductions stated in the PSF provided the underlying assumptions do not change. The expected emission reductions (annual average) from the project activity are estimated to be 77,411 tCO₂/year over the 10 years fixed crediting period starting from 06/05/2017.

4KES has verified and hereby certifies that the GCC bundled project activity “Solar power project owned by Maharashtra Seamless Limited”:

·      has correctly described the Project Activity in the Project Submission Form (version 2.0, dated 18/09/2023) including the applicability of the approved methodology ACM0002, version 21.0 and meets the methodology applicability conditions, is additional and is expected to achieve the forecasted real measurable and additional GHG emission reductions, complies with the monitoring methodology, has appropriately conducted local and global stakeholder consultation processes and has calculated emission reduction estimates correctly and conservatively;  

·      is likely to generate GHG emission reductions amounting to the estimated 774,112 tCO₂ over the fixed crediting period of ten years, as indicated in the PSF, which are additional to the reductions that are likely to occur in absence of the Project Activity and complies with all applicable GCC rules, including ISO 14064-2 and ISO 14064-3, and therefore requests the GCC Program to register the Project Activity

·      is not likely to cause any net-harm to the environment and/or society and complies with the Environmental and Social Safeguards Standard, and therefore requests the GCC Program to register the Project Activity, which is likely to achieve the requirements of the Environmental No-net-harm Label (E+) and the Social No-net-harm Label (S+); and

·      is likely to contribute to the achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), comply with the Project Sustainability Standard, and contribute to achieving a total of 4 SDGs, which is likely to achieve the Gold SDG certification label (SDG+).

·      The Project Activity complies with all the applicable requirement of the GCC Program and ICAO’s requirements on CORSIA Emissions Unit Eligibility Criteria and CORSIA Eligible Emissions Units, as per Clarification No 1., v1.3 paragraph 23-25, and the ACCs expected to be issued during the crediting period is likely to be CORSIA eligible and can be used by International Airlines for offsetting their emissions during all phases of CORSIA and therefore requests GCC Steering Committee to append CORSIA Certification label (C+) to this project.

·      is likely to contribute to CORSIA Eligible Emission Units and has CORSIA Label (C+) certification valid till 31 December 2020. A written attestation from the Host country on double counting is not required until 31 December 2020 and the project was found meeting the applicable requirements prescribed by ICAO.