"2 X 5 MW Upper khauli & Drinidhar small hydroelectric project for a grid system", Himachal Pradesh, India

Audit Analysis

A 10 MW small hydro project in Himachal Pradesh with a VVB-verified combined additionality test and a jurisdictional grid baseline, but undermined by four material contradictions between the PDD/validation report and the monitoring report, a ~40% under-delivery against the pro-rata ex-ante expectation, and a long list of initial documentation deficiencies (12 material findings) that were subsequently resolved. The project is structurally sound for a grid-connected hydro scheme, but the data inconsistencies and missing verified figures limit confidence in the claimed reductions.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Four contradictions between the 2007 PDD/validation report and the 2012 monitoring report affect the lifetime ERR, baseline method, grid emission factor, and crediting period — the two document sets describe materially different project parameters
• ⚠The monitoring report claims 43,749 tCO₂e over a 2-year period, which is only ~60% of the pro-rata expectation derived from the PDD's 367,230 tCO₂e lifetime estimate, suggesting the ex-ante estimate was optimistic or the project under-performed
• ⚠Twelve material findings were raised during validation (missing host-country approval, unclear baseline formula, missing IRR details, unclear project boundary, etc.), indicating a weak initial documentation package
• ⚠No verified ERR figure is available in the extracted record; only the claimed figure from the monitoring report is present

Credit Vintages