Log In 
Overview 
This module establishes criteria and procedures to determine the baseline scenario and baseline retirement date and to demonstrate the additionality of project activities that accelerate the retirement of a coal-fired power plant (CFPP) using VM0052 Accelerated Retirement of Coal-fired Power Plants Using a Just Transition.
- VMD0060, v1.0 will be inactivated on 1 December 2027.
- Projects that use VMD0060, v1.0 may submit the following types of requests until 30 November 2027:
- Registration
- Crediting period renewal
- Verification approval where the verification includes a methodology change through a project description deviation
- Requantification
- Projects that meet the submission deadlines above may continue to apply VMD0060, v1.0 for the remainder of their crediting period. These projects must update to an active version of VMD0060 at their next crediting period renewal.
- Registered projects using VMD0060, v1.0 may update to VMD0060, v1.1 during their crediting period using one of the following:
- Procedure to Change Project Methodology through a Project Description Deviation for future monitoring periods, or
- Methodology Change and Requantification Procedure for past and future monitoring periods and to requantify emission reductions from past verifications
Development History
VMD0060 Combined Baseline and Additionality Assessment for Accelerated Retirement of Coal-fired Power Plants, v1.1
Status: Active since October 30, 2026
Summary of Changes: Updates requirements for equipment lifetime reference, baseline scenario options and the cost comparison test, removes the counterfactual pairing pathway and enabling scenario subsection, clarifies cost terminology and parameters, adds provisions for decommissioning costs, supporting assets and production-linked incentives, and revises additionality procedures, replacing uncertainty assessment with sensitivity analysis. Specific changes include the following:
- Section 2 – CDM TOOL10 was replaced by A6.4-AMT-006 (Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism) for calculating the technical lifetime of equipment.
- Section 5.1 – updated to use VT0009 Combined Baseline and Additionality Assessment to determine geographic area for baseline scenario determination and the alternative scenarios changed to include CFPP switching to natural gas. Removed temporal limit on the use of scenario B3 and added scenario B4.
- Section 5.2 – removed counterfactual pairing pathway.
- Section 6.1 through 6.5.1 – “enabling scenario” subsection removed. Equation 1 changed to test whether the AR scenario costs are “equal to or lower than” those of the CO scenario.
- Section 6.5.2 – revisions to terminology in Approaches 1 and 2, revisions to parameters to improve clarity, and new subsections added for Decommissioning Costs, Supporting Assets, and Production Linked Incentives.
- Section 7 – direction on additionality testing requirements and procedures improved for clarity, and section 7.2.3 Sensitivity Analysis added.
- Section 8 – uncertainty assessment replaced by sensitivity analysis.
- Section 9 – parameter tables added for new costs in section 6.5.2.
Developer(s): Verra with support from the Coal to Clean Credit Initiative (external) led by The Rockefeller Foundation (external)
Technical Contributor(s): RMI (external)
Dates of Public Consultation: March 27, 2026 to April 26, 2026
Draft Shared During Public Consultation: VMD0060 v1.1 Draft (PDF)
Summary of Public Consultation: Summary of Public Consultation for VM0052, v1.1 & VMD0060 (PDF)
Independent Expert Reports: N/A – Minor Revision
Announcement(s): Consultation on Revision to Coal Plant Retirement Methodology, Verra Releases Updated Coal Plant Retirement Methodology
Status: Active May 6, 2025 – November 30, 2027
Inactivation Date: 1 December 2027
Request Deadlines:
The submission deadline for the following project requests is 30 November 2027:
- Registration requests
- Verification approval requests where the verification includes one of the following:
- Baseline reassessment
- A methodology change through a project description deviation
- Crediting period renewal requests
Requantification requests
Developer(s): Coal to Clean Credit Initiative (external) led by The Rockefeller Foundation (external) and supported by South Pole Carbon Asset Management Ltd. (external)
Dates of Public Consultation:
- 1st Consultation: December 4, 2023 to January 16, 2024
- 2nd Consultation: October 17, 2024 to November 20, 2024
Draft Shared During Public Consultation:
- 1st Consultation Documents: VM0052, v1.0 Draft Methodology 1 (PDF), VMD0060, v1.0 Draft Module 1 (PDF).
- 2nd Consultation Documents: VM0052, v1.0 Draft Methodology 2 (PDF), VMD0060, v1.0 Draft Module 2 (PDF).
Summary of Public Consultation: Coming Soon. See Appendix 1 of the VVB Assessment Report
VVB Assessment Report(s): Included in the scope of: VVB Assessment Report for VM0052, v1.0 (PDF)
Announcement(s): 1st Consultation Announcement, 2nd Consultation Announcement, RFP Announcement, New Verra Methodology Supports Coal Phase-Out and Just Energy Transition