This month, Nexus concludes a momentous chapter as the Vietnam Biogas Programme (BPV) comes to an end. BPV, in which Nexus partnered for a decade, addressed both climate change mitigation and energy access for 850,000+ users in communities across rural Vietnam by introducing biodigesters.
The BPV was launched in 2003 as a partnership between SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in Vietnam. The objective of the programme was to effectively utilize localized biogas technologies to develop a commercially viable biogas sector in Vietnam, while leveraging carbon finance to support the programme in the long run.
In 2011, Nexus for Development was selected to support BPV through carbon certification and credit management in order to access international financing. Following strict procedures and regulations, the programme received its certification under the Gold Standard – the rigorous, global voluntary standard for carbon offset projects. Since then, Nexus has been monitoring and measuring the project’s impacts using the Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology before moving to the more contemporary Impact Management and Measurement (IMM) practices. All project monitoring surveys and field tests have also been validated and confirmed by accredited third-party auditors in addition to the Gold Standard team and to Nexus’s quality assurance process.
179,000+ biogas plants were built in 55 provinces, benefiting 850,000+ Vietnamese users over the lifespan of the project
Much of Vietnam lacks proper waste management. This means hygiene and odor issues for communities, and polluted waterways and significant greenhouse gas emissions for the environment. The lack of biogas capture also means a valuable energy source goes to waste.
Meanwhile, households struggle to meet their energy needs safely. Solid biomass fuel such as wood and agricultural residues are often burned indoors resulting in respiratory and eye problems. The income and the time spent by women and children gathering these fuels could be used for better purposes.