Project Proposal Flow
A Project Developer proposes a new project using new or existing OCP methodologies.
Project developers who wish to propose a new project must make an account and fill out the proposal questions on the OCP platform. See our project proposal flow below.
The PD provides evidence of validity:
Eligibility under the selected methodology + any applicability concerns
Baseline scenario
Permanence
Additionality
Leakage
Prior Public Engagement / Consultations
as well as setting monitoring dates for the project timeline.
They work together with dMRV and validator partners, and optionally with experts and/or consultants, to agree on a high-quality project plan + dMRV plan.
dMRV: Digital Monitoring Reporting and VerificationAll documents, APIs, and communications are publicly and transparently stored on the blockchain as a single source of truth for future reference. We are moving away from long spreadsheets and pdfs, making sure all documentation and ingested data relating to the project proposals is publicly accessible.
Project Public Commentary
While a proposed project is undergoing third-party validation, the project proposal will be published on the OCP for 15 days of public commentary. The Project Developer must respond to all public commentary as part of the approval process. All comments will be made publicly available with the project page on the registry.
We also include sections in the project proposal form for project developers to demonstrate they have conducted public engagement and consultation to assess social and environmental impacts prior to project implementation.
Project Eligibility
The Open Carbon Protocol has the flexibility to incorporate a variety of activity types, though the primary focus is project-based. The OCP is sector and geographically agnostic.
Renewal of Crediting Period
The maximum crediting period allowed on the OCP is 10 years, although some methodologies will set shorter crediting periods. Once an initial crediting period is complete, the project developer will have to submit a new project proposal if they wish to 'renew'. This project proposal will include reassessment of baseline scenarios and will need revalidation by a different third-party Validator than any previous projects using the same methodology.
This process greatly reduces the chance for low-integrity projects or project fraud to operate on the OCP. In today's frequently changing carbon markets, we ask project developers to consider all projects as 'new', even if some of the underlying documents and information will be the same.
Project Deviations
If a project deviation is noted in the Project Proposal Form, there will be a 4-step escalating process:
VVB approved deviation: If the validator is convinced that the deviation was (a) unavoidable (b) addressed in a manner consistent with industry best practices, and (c) doesn't impact the belief that the action conservatively reduces or removes one tonne of carbon, then the project can be validated through a normal process. The deviation will be noted as approved under this method in the validation report.
OCP Precedent: If the VVB is unable or unsure of attesting under step 1, the OCP team can point to previous deviation precedents within other OCP-approved projects to allow for approval.
OCP Expert Review: If there is no precedent, the OCP will convene an Expert Review panel of at least two (2) experts to consider the deviation in one round of review. A super-majority (80%) of experts must approve the deviation within one (1) round of review. The decision will be published along with the validation document.
Methodology Module: If an Expert panel does not agree that this deviation fits under the current methodology, a module of the Methodology can be proposed. This commences a new methodology review process as described in the Methodology section above. This will require a panel of a minimum of four (4) experts, two (2) rounds of feedback, public commentary, and a super-majority positive decision. The methodology module will be published and no deviation will be required.
Data Partnerships
We are proud to work with RMI on integrating their Carbon Crediting Data Framework into our data schema, especially their work on safeguards and co-benefits.
We are also working closely to integrate with the Climate Action Data (CAD) Trust and CDOP data standardization efforts.
Deep Dives
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