GS11935 GS11934 RVPA-52 Promoting sustainable use of biomass energy resources in targeted communities

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard cookstove project in Nepal with VVB-confirmed additionality and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but significant gaps in permanence protection (no buffer pool, reversal risk unaddressed), an aggressive 100% usage-rate assumption, and a concerning contradiction on FPIC status between two validation reports. The identical claimed and verified ERR figures (47,333 tCO₂e) suggest no independent monitoring verification has yet been performed.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠FPIC status contradicts between two validation reports: the 2023-11-30 report states FPIC was conducted, while the more recent 2024-09-27 report states it was not — a material safeguard gap
• ⚠Total ERR claimed and verified are identical (47,333 tCO₂e), indicating no independent monitoring-period verification has been completed
• ⚠No buffer pool percentage is stated and reversal events are explicitly 'not addressed' — permanence risk for cookstove assets is unmitigated
• ⚠Usage rate assumed at 100% with no verified usage rate available — an aggressive assumption for household cookstove adoption
• ⚠Minimum extraction confidence is rated 'low', indicating at least one key document was poorly readable

Credit Vintages