Virunga National Park, Congo
Climate protection with hydropower
Preservation of the habitat for the last mountain gorillas in the wild
The Matebe hydropower project in the Virunga National Park in Congo is financing a running water power plant to supply the local population with electricity from renewable energy sources. The hydroelectric power replaces the energy production from charcoal and the associated deforestation of the local rainforest and thus also the destruction of the habitat of the mountain gorillas.
PROJECT FACTS
LOCATION:
Virunga National Park, D.R. Congo
PEOPLE WHO BENEFIT FROM THIS PROJECT:
About 5,000 households and many small businesses
PROJECT START:
2017
PROJECT DEVELOPER:
AERA GROUP
EXTERNAL AUDITORS:
TÜV NORD CERT GmbH, Carbon Check (India) Private Ltd.
QUALITY STANDARD:
Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)
ANNUAL CO22-REDUCTION:
approx. 46,000 t CO2
PROTECTED ANIMAL SPECIES:
Mountain gorillas
LINK TO THE PROJECT DOCUMENTS: https://registry.verra.org/app/projectDetail/VCS/1716
Project benefit
- Protection of the habitat of mountain gorillas and other endangered animal species
- Economic development through electricity in one of the poorest regions in the world
- Clean energy from hydroelectric power plant supplies approx. 5,000 households and many small businesses
- Creation of numerous jobs and new small businesses
- Dissemination of clean technology, further hydropower plants in planning
- More safety due to street lighting in the villages
- Generation of electricity from a renewable source with minimal environmental impact
- Savings of approx. 46,000 tonnes of CO22 per year
- Alternative jobs to the illegal coal trade
- Weakening militias for more peace in the region
PROJECT BACKGROUND
In the Virunga National Park, about one third of the last mountain gorillas live in the wild. 600 rangers protect the area from armed militias, who enrich themselves in mineral resources, animals and wood for the trade in charcoal. Illegal mining is a million-dollar business and is financing a cruel civil war.
The charcoal from trees from Virunga is the only source of energy for many, 97 per cent of the population live without electricity. Without alternatives to charcoal, the forest will be cut down in ten years. That is why our climate protection project has been created: a small run-of-water power plant with a capacity of 13.26 megawatts. In the meantime, there are already 5,000 households and many new small businesses connected to the local electricity grid-a prerequisite for economic development and, as a result, for greater stability and peace in the region.
How does climate protection work with hydropower?
Hydropower is one of the oldest forms of energy production and follows a simple principle. Only water and a gradient are necessary. The movement energy of the water drives a turbine and is converted into energy via a generator. The Matebe project is
a run-of-river power plant and takes advantage of the natural flow rate of the river. Run-of-water power stations are a good compromise between the use of a natural potential and the lowest possible environmental impact.
The amount of emissions saved will be determined on the basis of the so-called baseline-method: how much CO22would be caused by the same amount of energy generated with the usual local power mix?
Contribution to the UN sustainability goals
Project quality standard
VCS - Verified Carbon Standard
The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) is the globally leading standard for the certification of emission reductions from climate action projects. These emission reductions must be real, measurable, permanent, audited by independent third parties, and calculated conservatively.
