Shuicheng Rural Methane Digesters Project in Guizhou Province

Audit Analysis

The Shuicheng Rural Methane Digesters Project is a Gold Standard biogas avoidance project with a confirmed combined additionality test and VVB-verified emissions reductions, but it carries significant technical and documentation concerns. Eight material findings—including non-compliant GWP and MCF values, a methodology validity gap, and an outdated PDD form—along with 19 corrective actions indicate substantial quality-control weaknesses. The verified ERR for the 2022 monitoring period (154,241 tCO₂e) is roughly three times the pro-rata annual expectation derived from the lifetime ex-ante estimate, raising over-crediting questions that the VVB's verification does not fully resolve.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠GWP for methane (applied in PDD) and MCF value (12.8 °C) were found non-compliant with EB 69 Annex 3 and IPCC 2006 Table 10.17 respectively, directly affecting the credit calculation
• ⚠Methodology AMS-I.C was not valid at the time of the original registration request, a fundamental eligibility concern
• ⚠Verified ERR of 154,241 tCO₂e for the 2022 monitoring period is approximately 308% of the pro-rata annual expectation (~50,113 tCO₂e) derived from the 501,130 tCO₂e lifetime ex-ante estimate over a 10-year crediting period
• ⚠19 corrective actions were required across the monitoring report, indicating widespread documentation and calculation gaps
• ⚠FPIC was not conducted and the stakeholder feedback round was not reported in the Passport, despite a grievance mechanism being in place

Credit Vintages