Sichuan Rural Poor-Household Biogas Development Programme (GS1239 CER to VER conversion)

Audit Analysis

This Gold Standard biogas project in rural Sichuan has confirmed additionality and a recent baseline reassessment, but is severely undermined by 27 material findings in the monitoring report—including incorrect calculation processes for baseline and project emissions—and a contradictory 0% leakage treatment. The volume of calculation errors and the absence of a stated buffer pool or lifetime ERR estimate create significant over-crediting and data-reliability concerns that limit confidence in the verified figures.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠27 material findings in the monitoring report, including incorrect baseline emission calculation, incorrect project emission calculation, and incorrect ER results (CAR 10–13), indicating fundamental MRV calculation errors
• ⚠Contradictory leakage treatment: the verification report (Oct 2019) states leakage was 'quantified' while the monitoring report (Oct 2019) states it was 'deemed negligible,' yet the deduction is 0%—no clear methodology is documented
• ⚠No buffer pool percentage is stated in any available document for a biogas project with inherent permanence risk, and no reversal events data is available
• ⚠Four contradictions between documents on additionality test type, baseline method (modeled vs measured), and crediting period end date, reducing confidence in the project's documented parameters

Credit Vintages