Grouped Projects for Cambodia Improved Cookstove

Audit Analysis

This grouped cookstove project in Cambodia (49 PAs, VMR0006) has the core structural elements in place — VVB-confirmed additionality, a recently reassessed project-specific baseline, and a 5% leakage deduction — but is undermined by an extraordinary volume of material findings (over 40), 11 cross-document contradictions, and a critical fNRB discrepancy (71.71 vs 0.3) that casts doubt on the reliability of the underlying carbon accounting. All corrective actions were reportedly resolved, yet the sheer density of issues and the fNRB inconsistency leave meaningful residual risk on both the integrity and claim-safety dimensions.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠fNRB value contradicts between documents: 71.71 (verification report, Dec 2023) vs 0.3 (monitoring report, Mar 2026) — a 239× discrepancy that fundamentally alters the carbon accounting basis
• ⚠Over 40 material findings and 35+ corrective actions raised by the VVB, including use of estimated rather than measured fuel data in ER calculations, missing KPT-based determination of key parameters, and double-counting risk within households
• ⚠VVB conducted additionality assessment via 'remote interviews' rather than an onsite audit, weakening the robustness of the additionality claim
• ⚠Leakage justification recorded as 'not addressed' in the most recent verification report (Mar 2026) despite a 5% deduction being applied, and a prior report (Nov 2025) describing it as 'quantified' — the basis for the deduction is unclear
• ⚠Two cookstoves (CAM046-ICS-7631, CAM014-ICS-7845) reported non-operational during the monitoring period, and the operation rate of 0.8833 sits at the lower bound of the 95% confidence interval

Credit Vintages