RIDI Grouped Hydro Solar Power Project in Nepal

Audit Analysis

The RIDI Grouped Hydro Solar Power Project in Nepal is a VCS renewable energy project (AMS-I.D. v18.0) with a VVB-verified investment additionality test and a reasonable 0% leakage deduction. However, the verification report identified 11 material findings—including calculation errors in the benchmark analysis, non-compliance with VCS Standard eligibility criteria, and inconsistent project ownership details—indicating significant initial documentation quality issues that were subsequently resolved. A major PDD revision reducing the claimed ERR from 267,554 to 18,234 tCO₂e raises transparency and over-crediting concerns that warrant scrutiny.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠The PDD was revised between 2023 and 2025, reducing the claimed ERR from 267,554 to 18,234 tCO₂e (an 83% reduction), which suggests the original estimate was substantially inflated or the project scope changed materially.
• ⚠Eleven material findings were raised during verification, including calculation errors in the benchmark analysis, additionality tools applied without clear justification, non-compliance with VCS Standard v4.4 §3.6.16 eligibility criteria, and inconsistent project ownership (EKI vs RIDI Power Company).
• ⚠The baseline methodology is described as 'project-specific' in the verification report but 'jurisdictional' in the monitoring report, creating ambiguity about the robustness of the baseline.

Credit Vintages

No issuances recorded on the registry.