Washington, DC (October 7, 2002) - International Resources Group (IRG), Resources for the Future (RFF), and the Global Climate Change Institute of Tsinghua University of the People's Republic of China have been selected by the Asian Development Bank and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China to implement the project, "Opportunities in the Energy Sector for the Clean Development Mechanism."

Using stakeholder consultations and government dialogue, the Asian Development Bank-funded project will define Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) policy options and maximize their benefits, develop guidelines to elaborate simplified rules and procedures for small-scale clean development projects, formulate a national strategy to promote small-scale energy and CDM project opportunities in China, and create at least four clean development project designs. The project development will be focused in two western provinces, Gansu and Guangxi.

IRG, RFF, and Tsinghua University were brought together for this contract by their common commitment to clean energy development and extensive experience in dealing with climate change issues and projects, both in China and in the broader international community.

IRG, an international professional services firm specializing in energy, the environment, natural resources, and relief and reconstruction, has extensive experience with emission reduction projects. Using flexible mechanisms such as the CDM and Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ), IRG has developed national frameworks to implement clean development and build institutional capacity. RFF, a 50-year old independent environmental and energy research center with a worldwide portfolio of policy analysis and technical assistance projects, has invented many of the mechanisms used to implement market incentives for pollution control, including innovative approaches to reduce global carbon emissions. Tsinghua University's Global Climate Change Institute has undertaken studies on energy policy using market, environmental, and economic models that can be used study applications of CDM in China.

IRG's Matthew Mendis and RFF's Richard Morgenstern-both widely recognized energy, environment, and international protocol and flexible mechanism experts-will act as co-team leaders in this project. Dr. Wei Zhihong of Tsinghua University will serve as team leader of national consultants.