BioLite Improved Cook stoves Programme - CPA 020 supported by Republic of Korea

Audit Analysis

The BioLite Improved Cook Stoves Programme in Uganda is a Gold Standard energy-efficiency project with VVB-confirmed additionality and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but it is undermined by a project-specific baseline, the absence of a stated buffer pool, and an unusually large number of material findings and corrective actions (17) spanning inconsistencies in emission values, missing documentary evidence, and template non-compliance. The project delivered roughly 60% of its pro-rata expected reductions for the 2023 monitoring period, suggesting conservative crediting but also raising questions about the robustness of the underlying activity data.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠17 corrective actions required across the verification cycle, including missing end-user databases, photos, training records, and sales data — core evidence for an energy-efficiency project
• ⚠Contradiction in total ERR: the PDD states 1,498,873 tCO2e while the issuance document states 2,649,011 tCO2e (both dated 2024-11-18), a 77% gap that is unexplained
• ⚠Crediting period discrepancy: the verification report shows a 5-year window (2019–2024) while the validation report shows a 20-year window (2018–2038), creating ambiguity about the true project duration
• ⚠No buffer pool percentage stated in any available document, leaving permanence risk unquantified
• ⚠FNRB value contradiction: 0.807 in the verification report versus 78.75 in the PDD — likely a unit/fraction mismatch but unexplained in the record

Credit Vintages