GS5658 VPA 34: “Access to energy for local development and resilience building in Uganda”

Audit Analysis

This Gold Standard domestic energy-efficiency PoA (improved cookstoves in Uganda) has VVB-confirmed additionality and no reported reversals, but is undermined by a project-specific baseline, a 0% leakage deduction with inconsistent justification across documents, and a heavy load of 15 material findings and 14 corrective actions that point to systemic MRV quality issues. The verified ERR of 29,071 tCO₂e for the most recent monitoring period substantially exceeds the pro-rata share of the 37,697 tCO₂e lifetime ex-ante estimate, raising over-crediting concerns that are not fully resolved by the available documentation.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠15 material findings and 14 corrective actions in the 2025 verification report, including calculation errors, emission-factor inconsistencies, and crediting-period mismatches, indicate systemic MRV quality problems
• ⚠Verified ERR of 29,071 tCO₂e for a single 1-year monitoring period is roughly 5× the pro-rata expectation (~5,730 tCO₂e) derived from the 37,697 tCO₂e lifetime ex-ante estimate over a ~6.6-year crediting period, suggesting possible over-crediting or a mis-specified ex-ante baseline
• ⚠Leakage deduction of 0% is justified as 'deemed negligible' in the 2025 verification report, yet an earlier 2023 verification report described the leakage treatment as 'quantified'—the inconsistency is unresolved
• ⚠No buffer pool percentage is stated in any available document, leaving permanence risk unmitigated despite the absence of reported reversals
• ⚠CORSIA eligibility and CCP status are not stated in any extracted document, leaving dual-channel risk unassessed

Credit Vintages