Content of the PDD
Requirement to submit a PDD
Project participants in Track 2 JI projects are required to submit to the accredited independent entity (AIE) a project design document (PDD) that contains all information required to determine whether the project:
- Has been approved by the Parties involved;
- Would result in emission reductions that are additional to what would otherwise occur; and
- Has an appropriate baseline and monitoring plan (9/CMP.1, Annex, paragraph 31).
These requirements are set out in full in 9/CMP.1, Annex, paragraph 31:
Project participants shall submit to an accredited independent entity a project design document that contains all information needed for the determination of whether the project:
- Has been approved by the Parties involved;
- Would result in a reduction of anthropogenic emissions by sources or an enhancement of anthropogenic removals by sinks that is additional to any that would otherwise occur;
- Has an appropriate baseline and monitoring plan in accordance with the criteria set out in appendix B below (9/CMP.1, Annex, paragraph 31).
Standardised JI-SSC-PDD
At its first meeting, the COP/MOP requested that the Joint Implementation Supervisory Committee (JISC) create a standardised PDD for JI projects:
The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol ...
- Requests the Joint Implementation Supervisory Committee to establish and execute a work programme including the following tasks: ...
- To elaborate and agree on a joint implementation project design document pursuant to paragraph 3 (e) of the guidelines for the implementation of Article 6 of the Kyoto Protocol, with the understanding that it shall be applied provisionally until the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol has adopted it in accordance with the guidelines for the implementation of Article 6 of the
Kyoto Protocol (10/CMP.1, paragraph 2(d)).
This standardised PDD was developed and adopted by the JISC at its fourth meeting (JISC 4, Annex 8). The latest version (Version 1.1) was adopted by the JISC at its fifth meeting (JISC 5, Annex 2) and is available on the UNFCCC website here.
Small-scale (SSC) Joint Implementation (JI) projects are required to use the most recent version of the PDD for small-scale projects (JI-SSC-PDD):
The most recent version of the joint implementation project design document form for small-scale projects (JI SSC PDD form) shall be used for all proposed JI SSC projects after 30 September 2006, taking into account paragraph 25 below (Provisions for Joint Implementation small-scale projects, Version 3, JISC 18, Annex 3, paragraph 24).
However, projects that obtained written approvals from the Parties involved before 1 October 2006 were entitled to use either the JI-SSC-PDD or the CDM-SSC-PDD. This was in order that they were not disadvantaged while the Joint Implementation Supervisory Committee (JISC) was developing the JI-SSC-PDD. However, projects using the CDM-SSC-PDD were nonetheless required to be assessed in accordance with the eligibility criteria for JI projects:
Projects with written approvals from Parties in accordance with paragraph 31 (a) of the JI guidelines dated before 1 October 2006 shall use either the most recent version of the JI SSC PDD form or the CDM simplified project design document for SSC project activities (SSC-CDM-PDD)8. In the latter case, the AIE selected by the project participants to perform the determination according to paragraph 33 of the JI guidelines shall confirm that the PDD submitted provides all the information covered by the most recent JI SSC PDD form and related JISC guidance (Provisions for Joint Implementation small-scale projects, Version 3, JISC 18, Annex 3, paragraph 25).
The JI-SSC-PDD draws on aspects of the CDM PDD, as anticipated by the COP/MOP:
The relevant parts of the clean development mechanism project design document, and of the project design document for small-scale clean development mechanism project activities, may be applied by project participants under joint implementation, as appropriate (10/CMP.1, paragraph 4(b)).
The JI PDD forms were adopted by the COP/MOP at its second meeting:
The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol: ...
- Adopts the joint implementation project design document forms, elaborated by the Committee in accordance with paragraph 3 (e) of the joint implementation guidelines and paragraph 2 (d) of decision 10/CMP.1, as contained in annex II of document FCCC/KP/CMP/2006/5 and annexes I and II of document FCCC/KP/CMP/2006/5/Add.1 (2/CMP.2, paragraph 3).
The COP/MOP also authorised the JISC to make any necessary amendments to the JI-SSC-PDD:
The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol: ...
- Authorizes the Joint Implementation Supervisory Committee, taking into account experience gained, to make any amendments or additions to the project design document forms, as appropriate, and to elaborate in its annual report to the Conference of the Parties serving as the meetingof the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, for information, on any such amendments or additions (2/CMP.2, paragraph 4).
Guidelines for completing the JI-SSC-PDD
The COP/MOP also requested that the JISC develop guidelines for completing the JI-SSC-PDD, drawing on the guidelines developed for completing the CDM-SSC-PDD:
The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol ...
- Requests the Joint Implementation Supervisory Committee to establish and execute a work programme including the following tasks: ...
- To develop, as soon as possible, guidelines for users, inter alia, of the joint implementation project design document, drawing on guidelines developed by the Executive Board of the clean development mechanism, where appropriate (10/CMP.1, paragraph 2(e)).
These Guidelines for users of the joint implementation project design document form for small-scale projects and the form for submission of bundled joint implementation small-scale projects were developed and adopted by the JISC at its fifth meeting (JISC 5, Annex 1). A revised version (Version 2), incorporating the new thresholds for Type II and III JI SSC projects set out in 3/CMP.2, paragraph 14 and a revised glossary of JI terms, was adopted by the JISC at its sixth meeting (JISC 6, Annex 2). The most recent version (Version 4, adopted at JISC 18, Annex 5), consolidated the glossary of terms in a separate document and increased transparency and consistency in the PDD. It is available on the UNFCCC website here. The glossary of joint implementation terms can be found here.
PDD for bundled SSC projects
Bundled projects may use a single JI-SSC-PDD for the whole bundle, provided that the projects:
- Pertain to the same project category;
- Apply the same technology or measure; and
- Are located in the territory of the same host Party.
If these conditions are not satisfied, bundled projects are required to use separate JI-SSC-PDD forms:
In the case of project bundling referred to in section 3. above, taking into account paragraphs 29 and 30 below, a single SSC PDD may be used for the whole bundle provided that all the projects pertain to the same JI SSC project category, apply the same technology or measure and are located in the territory of the same host Party. Otherwise, separate SSC PPDs have to be submitted for each project in the bundle. All SSC PDDs pertaining to a particular bundle shall be published at the same time, whenever the publication of PDDs is required under the verification procedure under the JISC (Provisions for Joint Implementation small-scale projects, Version 3, JISC 18, Annex 3, paragraph 26).
In addition to the JI-SSC-PDD(s), project participants must also submit the Form for submission of bundled JI SSC projects (F-JI-SSC-BUNDLE). This was initially adopted by the JISC at its fourth meeting (JISC 4, Annex 9). The latest version (Version 1.1), which was adopted by the JISC at its fifth meeting (JISC 5, Annex 3), is available on the UNFCCC website here.
The Guidelines for users of the joint implementation project design document form for small-scale projects and the form for submission of bundled joint implementation small-scale projects also contain guidance on completing F-JI-SSC-BUNDLE, and are available on the UNFCCC website here.