Climate projects
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Hydropower
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Uganda
PROJECT FACTSHEET · CERTIFICATE-BASED CLIMATE ACTION
Bujagali Hydroelectric Power Station in Uganda
Electricity from hydropower. A climate impact that must be viewed in context.
The Bujagali hydropower plant generates electricity on the Victoria Nile in Uganda. This page describes the power plant, how emission reductions are calculated, and the origin of the certificates. It also outlines the key questions surrounding the project's additionality, as well as its social and environmental impacts.
BUJAGALI HYDROPOWER PROJECT · UGANDA
The photograph shows the hydroelectric power station on the Victoria Nile.
COUNTRY
Uganda
VERRA PROJECT ID
VCS 1505
PROJECT TYPE
Renewable Energy · Hydroelectric Power
TABS
Verra · Verified Carbon Standard
WHY CONTEXT MATTERS
A power station generates electricity. A certificate represents a calculated reduction.
The Bujagali hydropower plant harnesses the energy of the Victoria Nile to generate electricity. This power is fed into the Ugandan national grid. To calculate the emission reductions, the project considers the emissions that would have occurred under a hypothetical alternative scenario for electricity generation.
The project was initially registered under the international Clean Development Mechanism, or CDM for short. The Verra entry VCS 1505 relates to the transfer of units from this programme.
For a project like this, several questions are closely linked: How was the emission reduction calculated? What time period do the units come from? And what social and environmental impacts did the construction of the power plant have?
A registered unit ensures its origin is traceable. It does not replace engagement with the project and its impacts.
01 · PROJECT AT A GLANCE
The project's data passport
The information refers to the Verra registry entry and publicly available documents regarding the former CDM project. For a specific allocation, the details of the respective unit in the Verra registry are authoritative.
PROJECT NAME
Bujagali Hydropower Project
COUNTRY
Uganda
REGION
Victoria Nile, near Jinja
VERRA PROJECT ID
VCS 1505
CDM PROJECT NUMBER
4217
PROJECT DEVELOPER
Bujagali Energy Limited
PROJECT TYPE
Renewable energy · Hydroelectric power
TECHNOLOGY
Hydroelectric power station with a dam and five turbines
POWER PLANT CAPACITY
250 MW according to project and World Bank documents
COMMISSIONING
Phased commissioning in 2012
STANDARD
Verified Carbon Standard · VCS
METHODOLOGY
ACM0002 · Grid-connected electricity generation from renewable sources
UNIT IN THE VERRA REGISTRY
Verified Carbon Unit · VCU
Tab background
Connection with the former CDM project 4217
VCS 1505 is the project number in the Verra registry. CDM 4217 refers to the previous project in the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism registry.
The CDM project entry specifies a deregistration date of 17 January 2026. The status and use of individual Verra units must be verified separately via the Verra registry.
The figure of 250 MW comes from the project documentation for the original operation and from the World Bank report. For subsequent technical specifications, the relevant up-to-date documents apply.
02 · WHAT HAPPENS IN THE PROJECT
Electricity from the movement of water
The hydroelectric power station is situated on the Victoria Nile near Jinja in Uganda. A dam diverts water to the power station's turbines. These drive generators that produce electricity for the grid.
01
Using water
The power station harnesses the gradient and flow of the Victoria Nile. The water is channelled through the plant and returned to the river after use.
02
Generate electricity
Five turbines generate electricity, which is fed into the Ugandan power grid via substations and transmission facilities. The project documents cite a total capacity of 250 megawatts.
03
Consider the impacts as well
Building a dam changes the river and its surrounding environment. The impoundment submerged the former Bujagali Falls. The project was also linked to issues surrounding resettlement, compensation and livelihoods.
Hydropower can generate electricity with comparatively low direct emissions. Nevertheless, the impact of a dam on people and the environment must be considered separately.
03 · HOW A UNIT IS CREATED
The emission reduction is achieved through a comparison.
A hydroelectric power station does not automatically save a fixed amount of CO₂. To calculate this, the amount of electricity the project fed into the grid over a given period is first determined. This figure is then compared with an assumed alternative form of electricity generation.
01
Record electricity consumption
The electricity fed into the grid is recorded for each monitoring period.
02
Set reference
The methodology determines the emissions assumed for the power supply in the absence of the project activity. To do this, an emission factor for the relevant electricity grid is used, among other parameters.
03
Calculate reduction
The amount of electricity fed into the grid is compared with the established baseline. Additional factors required by the methodology, project emissions, and potential deductions are taken into account.
04
Check and register
The details and calculations are verified for the respective period in accordance with the rules of the standard used. To ensure a unit can be clearly and traceably assigned, the registry, the reduction period, and the unique unit reference are particularly important.
The calculation describes an emissions reduction compared to an assumed baseline. It is not a direct measurement of what would have actually happened without the project.
04 · IMPACT AND QUESTIONS
What the project involves beyond power generation
A large hydroelectric power plant impacts an existing natural habitat. For this reason, the project's activities should not be assessed solely by the amount of electricity generated or the number of units issued.
STROMVERSORGUNG
Zusätzliche Erzeugungskapazität
Das Kraftwerk wurde gebaut, um Strom für das ugandische Netz bereitzustellen. Die Weltbank beschreibt die zusätzliche Erzeugungskapazität als einen wichtigen Beitrag zur damaligen Stromversorgung des Landes.
LANDSCHAFT UND FLUSS
Veränderung des Viktoria-Nils
Durch den Staudamm wurde Wasser aufgestaut. Die früheren Bujagali-Fälle wurden dabei überflutet. Damit veränderte das Projekt einen Flussabschnitt, der auch für lokale Gemeinschaften und den Tourismus von Bedeutung war.
MENSCHEN VOR ORT
Umsiedlung und Lebensgrundlagen
Mit dem Projekt waren Umsiedlungen sowie Fragen zu Entschädigung und Lebensgrundlagen verbunden. Der Abschlussbericht der Weltbank nennt unter anderem Verzögerungen bei Landtiteln und beim Stromanschluss umgesiedelter Haushalte.
ZUSÄTZLICHKEIT
Wäre das Kraftwerk auch ohne Zertifikate gebaut worden?
Diese Frage ist für die Bewertung eines Klimazertifikats wichtig. Das frühere CDM-Projekt wurde registriert und nach den damals geltenden Regeln geprüft. Gleichzeitig stellten Umweltorganisationen im Registrierungsverfahren infrage, ob die erwarteten Einnahmen aus Zertifikaten für den Bau ausschlaggebend waren.
Die Stromerzeugung, die berechnete Emissionsminderung und die Auswirkungen des Staudamms sind unterschiedliche Aspekte. Erst zusammen ergeben sie ein vollständigeres Bild des Projekts.
05 · FOR SUPPORTING COMPANIES
Documented allocation requires more than just the project name.
This profile describes the power station and the basis of the calculation. Only the respective decommissioning or allocation certificate shows which units have been allocated to a company or a specific contribution.
For verifiable documentation, the following details are particularly relevant:
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Project name and Verra Project ID
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Standard and Registers
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allocated quantity in tonnes of CO₂e
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Vintage or reduction period
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Decommissioning date
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public register reference
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Serial numbers or unique references of the units
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Beneficiary or documented intended purpose
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where applicable, details of origin from the former CDM programme
Why the vintage matters
The vintage or reduction period indicates when the underlying emission reduction was calculated. It is not equivalent to the date of retirement. Therefore, a unit retired today may relate to a significantly earlier period.
The project profile describes the power station. The decommissioning certificate shows which unit was used for which contribution.
06 · CONTEXT AND COMMUNICATION
What the assignment tells you – and what it doesn't
A voluntary climate contribution is presented separately from emissions within the company's own value chain. Documented retirement shows which registered units were used for this purpose.
A DOCUMENTED MAPPING CAN SHOW
IT DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN
the allocation of specific registered units
a reduction in our own emissions
Project, standard, quantity and crediting period
Climate neutrality of a product or company
a proven decommissioning
a comprehensive sustainability assessment
an emission reduction calculated according to a methodology
that the baseline scenario would certainly have occurred in the same way
a contribution to an existing project context
that through today's acquisition a new power plant will be built
the application of rules and testing procedures
that social and environmental questions have been conclusively answered
For assessing additionality
In climate projects, additionality refers to whether an activity would have been implemented anyway without the incentive provided by carbon credits. In the case of Bujagali, this question was assessed during the CDM process and also faced public criticism. Furthermore, the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market has not approved older versions of methodology ACM0002 for its CCP label in relation to its additionality requirements. This methodological assessment must be distinguished from the registration of the individual project.
A climate contribution should not sound greater than can be documented.
07 · SOURCES AND RELEVANCE
The basis openly accessible
Registry details, retirements and available documents are subject to change. The respective entry in the Verra registry and the associated retirement certificate are authoritative for the specific allocation.
PRIMARY SOURCE
Verra Registry
Bujagali Hydropower Project · VCS 1505
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FORMER CDM PROJECT
UN Climate Registry · CDM Project 4217
Project description, monitoring reports, and details on the crediting periods.
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PROJECT OPERATIONS
First monitoring report of the CDM project
Project-related documentation on early monitoring.
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SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT
World Bank · Final Report on the Bujagali Project
Report on impacts, resettlement and implementation.
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ZUSÄTZLICHKEIT
International Rivers in the CDM process
Statement on the assessment of additionality.
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METHODOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION
Integrity Council · Assessment of Methodologies
Information on the assessment of older renewable energy methods.
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COMMUNICATION
Directive (EU) 2024/825
Rules for communicating voluntary climate contributions.
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NATUREOFFICE
Dokumentationsrahmen
Allgemeine Regeln für freiwillige Klimabeiträge.
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PRÜFSTAND
Registerangaben und konkrete Einheiten vor Veröffentlichung prüfen und Datum ergänzen.
Fragen zur konkreten Projektzuordnung oder zu verfügbaren Dokumenten beantworten wir gerne sachbezogen.