GS1247 VPA 207 Sierra Leone Safe Water

Audit Analysis

This Gold Standard safe-water project in Sierra Leone has VVB-verified additionality and no reversal events, but is undermined by a significant under-delivery of emissions reductions relative to ex-ante estimates, a 0% leakage deduction with contradictory justifications across documents, the absence of any buffer pool or permanence mechanism, and an extensive list of open corrective actions and grievance-related parameter caps. The project's claim safety is further weakened by a project-specific baseline and reliance on annual surveys rather than continuous monitoring.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Achieved ERs (25,442 tCO2e) are substantially below ex-ante estimates of 100,000 tCO2e/year, indicating significant under-delivery flagged in the verification report
• ⚠No buffer pool or permanence mechanism is identified in any available document, leaving no safeguard against potential reversal
• ⚠Leakage deduction is 0% with contradictory justifications: the verification report (2024) states 'quantified' while the monitoring report (2024) states 'deemed negligible', and the PDD originally proposed a 5% deduction
• ⚠Multiple temporary parameter caps (firewood consumption, users per borehole, water quality ratio) were imposed by GS-TAC during ongoing grievance reviews, indicating unresolved operational issues
• ⚠Extensive list of open corrective actions and findings, including lack of exit strategy, reduced water yield at 4 facilities, and women's participation challenges

Credit Vintages