Cookstove Project in DRC

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard cookstove project in DRC with solid additionality (combined test, VVB-verified) and a recently reassessed project-specific baseline, but undermined by the absence of a stated buffer pool, assumed (rather than measured) usage rates, a monitoring suspension due to armed conflict, and eleven cross-document contradictions. The project delivered roughly 69% of its pro-rata ex-ante expectation for the elapsed monitoring period, which is conservative and reduces over-crediting risk, yet the operational and documentation gaps limit confidence in the MRV chain.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Monitoring surveys were suspended due to armed conflict in eastern DRC; conservative discount factors were applied but the suspension creates a gap in verified activity data.
• ⚠No buffer pool percentage is stated in any available document, leaving no quantified safety net against potential reversal or under-delivery in future periods.
• ⚠Usage rate is assumed (59.3%) rather than independently measured; the verification report (2026) classifies the monitoring method as 'assumed', weakening the MRV chain.
• ⚠Calibration certificates for wood moisture meters and digital weighing scales were not provided during verification (FAR01), casting doubt on the accuracy of fuel consumption measurements.
• ⚠Eleven contradictions across documents (leakage justification, ERR figures, usage rates, fNRB method, crediting period dates) indicate inconsistent record-keeping and reduce data reliability.

Credit Vintages