GS1247 VPA 27 Improved Kitchen Regimes - Kasungu Boreholes, Malawi

Audit Analysis

This Gold Standard domestic energy-efficiency project (improved borehole water access displacing firewood use) has a VVB-verified combined additionality test and no reversal events, but is undermined by an extraordinary volume of unresolved material findings, contradictory leakage and ERR figures across documents, and a 0% leakage deduction whose justification is inconsistent between verification reports. The project's data quality and internal consistency raise meaningful concerns about the reliability of the claimed emission reductions.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Leakage deduction is 0% in the April 2024 verification report, yet the PDD (March 2025) states a 5% deduction, and the justification flips between 'quantified' and 'deemed negligible' across two verification reports — the basis for the 0% figure is unclear
• ⚠Verified ERR (59,720 tCO₂e, April 2024 VR) exceeds the claimed ERR (52,581 tCO₂e, November 2024 MR), an inversion that is atypical and suggests either different reporting periods, unexplained adjustments, or data-extraction errors
• ⚠Over 50 material findings and 50+ corrective actions span multiple verification cycles, including formula errors in the ER calculation sheet, mismatched fixed ex-ante parameters versus the design document, inconsistent survey counts, and unsubmitted referenced documents
• ⚠Assumed usage rate of 0.90 (PDD) versus verified 0.7956 (monitoring report) indicates the project overestimates actual adoption by roughly 13%, inflating claimed reductions
• ⚠One borehole (BORDOKA1) was non-functional for 113 days during the monitoring period, and multiple deviations were approved due to cholera and Cyclone Freddy, indicating significant operational disruption

Credit Vintages