GS1340 Efficient cookstoves in Burkina Faso - VPA-02 - tiipaalga F3PA cookstoves in Bam and Loroum

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard cookstove project in Burkina Faso with VVB-confirmed additionality and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but undermined by a striking 24.8× over-delivery relative to the ex-ante lifetime estimate, 17 corrective actions, unresolved FPIC contradiction, and security-driven monitoring gaps. The project's core design is sound, yet data quality and claim-consistency issues significantly erode confidence in the reported emission reductions.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Verified ERs of 82,535 tCO2e for a single monitoring year (2022) are 24.8× the pro-rata expectation of ~3,332 tCO2e derived from the 33,316 tCO2e lifetime ex-ante estimate over a 10-year crediting period — an extreme over-delivery that warrants scrutiny.
• ⚠17 corrective actions were required in the 2024 verification report, including hidden rows in the ER spreadsheet, GWP value errors (AR5 used instead of AR4), and inconsistencies between estimated ERs and registered VPA DDs.
• ⚠FPIC status is contradictory: the 2022 PDD states it was conducted, while the 2023 verification report records it as not conducted. The more recent verification report is privileged, leaving FPIC unconfirmed.
• ⚠Onsite verification visits were postponed due to security instability in Burkina Faso, with remote audits used as a deviation; an onsite visit is deferred to the next periodic verification.

Credit Vintages