Cerro Patacón Landfill Gas Usage

Audit Analysis

The Cerro Patacón landfill gas project in Panama has VVB-confirmed additionality and a conservative delivery profile (approximately 78% of pro-rata ex-ante expectation), but is undermined by an extensive list of material findings including monitoring deviations, PDD formula and capacity errors, and a 0% leakage deduction that the monitoring report itself states will not be monitored. The project relies on a project-specific modeled baseline and a methodological deviation for quantification, which together limit confidence in the integrity of the credit claims.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Monitoring report explicitly states leakage will not be monitored, yet the verification report classifies the 0% leakage deduction as 'quantified' — an internal inconsistency that weakens the leakage treatment
• ⚠Continuous gas volume and methane fraction monitoring was not performed; quantification relied on a methodological deviation using net electricity generation, with corrective action to install proper equipment only estimated for end of 2022
• ⚠PDD contained multiple formula errors (FCH4,PJ,y calculation), incorrect installed capacity (7.2 MW vs. verified 8.151 MW), and waste composition data inconsistent with the 2013 site study — all flagged as material findings by the VVB
• ⚠Calibration delays for energy meters were identified across 2017–2018 and 2018–2020, and calibration certificates for monitoring equipment (other than the energy meter) were not presented

Credit Vintages