10MW Iris (Baruthankanda) Solar Power Project (2018-SOP-004-10.0MW)

Audit Analysis

A 10 MW solar project in Sri Lanka registered under Gold Standard with VVB-confirmed additionality and reasonable safeguards, but undermined by five cross-document contradictions (baseline method, leakage justification, crediting period, additionality test type, and ERR figures), multiple material findings including meter calibration gaps, and CDM-era corrective actions that create governance ambiguity. The exact match between claimed and verified ERR (65,781 tCO₂e) alongside a 2022 report showing 118,562 tCO₂e raises questions about the consistency of the monitoring record.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Five contradictions across key fields (additionality test type, ERR, baseline method, leakage justification, crediting period) between the 2022 and 2023 monitoring reports and the validation report
• ⚠Claimed and verified ERR are identical (65,781 tCO₂e) while a 2022 monitoring report reports 118,562 tCO₂e, creating an unresolved discrepancy of ~80%
• ⚠Corrective actions reference CDM PoA terminology (DNA LoA, CPA-DD, CME coordination) in a Gold Standard project, suggesting either a CDM-to-GS conversion with incomplete documentation or misattributed findings
• ⚠Meter calibration gaps in Nov–Dec 2021 and Dec 2022 with a 1% maximum permissible error applied, flagged as a material finding
• ⚠Baseline method is stated as 'project' in the verification report but 'jurisdictional' in the same-dated monitoring report

Credit Vintages