EcoMakala Virunga Energy project

Audit Analysis

The EcoMakala Virunga Energy project has a solid additionality foundation (combined test, VVB-verified) and recent baseline reassessment, but is undermined by multiple operational gaps: key performance tests were not conducted for two of three sites, the physical site visit was replaced by a virtual meeting due to insecurity, and the verification report was still under revision at the time of extraction. The 0% leakage deduction and absence of a stated buffer pool or reversal treatment leave permanence and leakage risks inadequately addressed. Significant contradictions in ERR figures and a 15-percentage-point gap between assumed and verified usage rates raise over-crediting concerns.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠KPT tests for Butembo and Beni were not yet conducted; credits were only claimed for Goma, yet the project's SDG impacts were reported as significantly lower than PDD estimates due to low sales in those areas (verification report, 2023).
• ⚠Physical site visit was not conducted due to insecurity in Goma; a virtual meeting with a local expert was held instead, and a corrective action requires replanning a physical visit (verification report, 2023).
• ⚠No buffer pool percentage is stated in any available document, and reversal events are listed as 'not addressed,' leaving permanence risk unquantified.
• ⚠Leakage deduction is 0% with a 'quantified' justification, yet the earlier verification report (2020) recorded leakage as 'not addressed' — the justification basis is unclear.
• ⚠The verification report was still under revision by the VVB at the time of extraction, and multiple corrective actions (CAR 01, CAR 02, CL 05) were raised and closed, indicating unresolved quality issues.

Credit Vintages