At a glance
The Monte Rosa Bagasse Cogeneration Project is located in Nicaragua and involves the improvement of energy efficiency by retrofitting an existing biomass residue fired power plant. The retrofit increases the power generation capacity at the sugar and ethanol production mill, Monte Rosa. This project avoids CO2 emissions and contributes to the regional and national sustainable development.
The technology used for generating megawatt (MW) levels of electricity from biomass is called the steam-Rankine cycle. Such combined heat and power (CHP), or cogeneration systems, provide greater levels of energy services per unit of biomass consumed than systems that generate electric power only.
CO₂ benefits
More than 70% of the energy produced in Nicaragua is generated by fossil fuel sources. The Monta Rosa Bagasse Cogeneration project will therefore contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions from the energy sector, as it will reduce an estimated 115,000t CO2 every year. Increasing biomass use will diminish the need to import fossil fuel and thus improve Nicaragua’s balance of paymeznts. In other words, the 98.200 MWh annually that the Monte Rosa expansion project will provide to the grid (average over 14 years) will reduce Nicaraguan imports of approximately 119.800 barrels/yr of fuel oil. Much of the renewable energy that is produced in Nicaragua is sugarcane biofuel, which accounts for 33.2% of the renewable energy sector.
Biodiversity benefits
Biomass can reduce pollution, landfill, and overall waste, which is key to managing carbon levels and conserving local biodiversity. As is known, GHG emissions contribute to climate change, which poses a range of threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services. Not mitigating emission production can cause an increased risk of species extinctions, air and water pollution, and affecting vital ecosystem services. This specific project involves the reduction of GHG emission sources from fuel combustion in energy industries, which play an important role in conserving biodiversity in the long run. Besides reducing GHG emissions, Monte Rosa has implemented an Environmental Management system, controlling residual water, solid waste, dust, air quality, and noise.
Socio-economic benefits
Local communities can benefit from the lower cost and emissions of renewable energy as it offers a more sustainable and accessible alternative to traditional fossil fuels. Furthermore, the project has assisted 12 communities directly in topics of health, education, sports and cultural recreation. Likewise, through the Pantaleon Foundation projects of housing for children, patronages of schools and maternal-infantile houses have been carried out in order to achieve a better community development. Next to that, the industrial area has created 35 direct, and also indirect jobs. Monte Rosa could also serve as an example for encouraging other bagasse cogeneration projects in the country, providing a technological development.
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Location of the project
Project verification
Clean Development Mechanism - Certified Emission Reduction
This project is CDM CER verified. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is operational since 2006 and is part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The CDM offers the public and private sector in high-income nations the opportunity to purchase carbon credits from offset projects in low or middle-income nations, stimulating sustainable development, local economies, and emission reduction.
