Advanced Refrigeration - ARS2022002

Audit Analysis

A US multi-state advanced refrigeration project replacing high-GWP HFCs with low-GWP alternatives, validated by Ruby Canyon Environmental. The project type offers strong inherent permanence (reductions are fixed once refrigerant is replaced) and VVB-confirmed additionality, but the validation report surfaced 20 material findings and 10 corrective actions related to data inconsistencies, missing invoices, and unclear GWP calculations, significantly undermining confidence in the underlying quantification.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠The validation report (2023-09-01) lists 20 material findings including inconsistencies in refrigerant charge sizes, unclear GWP determination methods for R-404A and R-407A blends, and discrepancies in leak-rate data across multiple facilities (DeCicco, Bel Air, Nicholas Market, Lunds/Byerlys, ShopRite Elmsford).
• ⚠Ten corrective actions were required, including missing invoices for new CO2 systems, absent full-charge documentation for two sites, and a lack of EPA compliance attestation for displaced HFC management.
• ⚠Leakage is set at 0% with only a 'deemed negligible' justification and no quantified analysis, despite the project involving physical displacement of HFC refrigerants across multiple commercial sites.
• ⚠The baseline is project-specific rather than jurisdictional or standardised, and no baseline reassessment date is recorded in the available documents.

Credit Vintages