GS11935 GS11934 RVPA-20 Promoting sustainable use of biomass energy resources in targeted communities

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard cookstove efficiency project in Nepal with VVB-confirmed additionality and no reversal events, but a significant discrepancy between the ex-ante estimate (43,761 tCO₂e) and the verified figure for a single monitoring year (71,608 tCO₂e) raises serious over-crediting concerns. The project-specific baseline, absence of FPIC per the most recent validation report, and identical claimed/verified ERR figures warrant caution. Documentation is reasonably complete with all corrective actions closed, but the ERR gap is the dominant risk.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Verified ERR of 71,608 tCO₂e for one monitoring year exceeds the full ex-ante crediting-period estimate of 43,761 tCO₂e from the validation report by a factor of ~1.6×, implying delivery of roughly 818% of the pro-rata annual expectation — a major over-crediting signal
• ⚠FPIC was not conducted per the most recent validation report (Sep 2024), contradicting an earlier validation report (Nov 2023) that stated it was conducted
• ⚠Claimed and verified ERR figures are identical (71,608), with no visible independent adjustment by the VVB
• ⚠Crediting period dates differ between the monitoring report (2023-05-30 to 2028-05-29) and an earlier document (2022-10-01 to 2027-10-01), suggesting a revision that is not clearly documented

Credit Vintages