GS1309 Low cost irrigation devices programme in India-VPA 05

Audit Analysis

This Gold Standard irrigation-device project in India has a reputable VVB (Lloyd's Register) and a complete set of core documents, but suffers from a critical quantification problem: the verified emissions reductions for a single ~2-year monitoring period (148,822 tCO2e) exceed the project's own lifetime ex-ante estimate (126,811 tCO2e) by 17%. Combined with a 100% usage-rate assumption, a 0% leakage deduction with contradictory justifications, and a project-specific baseline with no documented reassessment, the project presents significant over-crediting risk.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Verified ERR of 148,822 tCO2e for the 2011–2013 monitoring period exceeds the lifetime ex-ante estimate of 126,811 tCO2e by 17%, implying the project delivered ~541% of the pro-rata expectation for the elapsed period
• ⚠100% usage rate assumed in the PDD with no verified usage rate reported in the monitoring or verification documents
• ⚠0% leakage deduction justified as 'deemed negligible' in the verification report, while the monitoring report does not address leakage at all
• ⚠Material finding (CAR 03): an incorrect diesel emission factor (2.72 vs 2.624 kgCO2/litre) was initially used, reducing ERs by ~5,400 tCO2e after correction
• ⚠No buffer pool, permanence mechanism, or reversal-risk treatment documented in any available source

Credit Vintages Exhausted