GS1309 Low cost irrigation devices programme in India-VPA 01

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard energy-efficiency project (AMS I.B) for low-cost irrigation devices in India with VVB-confirmed additionality, but undermined by a 0% leakage deduction with contradictory justifications, a 100% usage-rate assumption, a large discrepancy between claimed and PDD-stated emission reductions, and twelve corrective action requests raised during verification. The absence of a buffer pool and the project-specific baseline further weaken the integrity profile.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Verified emissions reductions (148,822 tCO₂e) are approximately 776% of the pro-rata expectation (~19,180 tCO₂e) for the 2.17-year monitoring period against a 10.2-year crediting period and 90,373 tCO₂e lifetime ex-ante estimate, raising serious over-crediting concerns
• ⚠Leakage deduction of 0% is justified as 'quantified' in the verification report but described as 'not addressed' in the monitoring report — a direct contradiction on a material MRV parameter
• ⚠Total ERR claimed in the verification report (154,269) is 12× the figure in the PDD (12,904), an unexplained discrepancy that undermines data reliability
• ⚠Usage rate assumed at 100% with no verified usage-rate data available in the extracted record
• ⚠Twelve corrective action requests were raised during verification, including an incorrect diesel emission factor (2.72 vs 2.624 kgCO₂/litre) that inflated ERs before correction

Credit Vintages Exhausted