The Breathing Space Improved Cooking Stoves Programme, India – VPA No. 16 Envirofit

Audit Analysis

This Gold Standard improved-cooking-stove project in India has a VVB-verified additionality assessment and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but the verification record is undermined by over 30 corrective actions, four material findings (including inconsistent emission-reduction values and a 'tampered' PoA-DD template), and a 100-fold contradiction in the leakage percentage between the 2024 monitoring report and the 2026 verification report. The FPIC status is directly contradicted between the 2023 validation report and the 2026 verification report, and the absence of a buffer pool or stated permanence mechanism leaves residual risk unaddressed.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Over 30 corrective actions required in the 2026 verification report, including a finding that the PoA-DD template was 'tampered' with inconsistent section numbers
• ⚠Leakage deduction stated as 5% in the 2026 verification report but 0.05% in the 2024 monitoring report — a 100-fold discrepancy that undermines confidence in the MRV calculations
• ⚠FPIC recorded as conducted in the 2023 validation report but not conducted in the 2026 verification report, creating a direct contradiction on a fundamental safeguard
• ⚠Claimed and verified emission-reduction figures are identical in both available verification reports (76,340 in 2026; 110,459 in 2023), raising the possibility that the VVB confirmed the project's own calculations rather than independently verifying them
• ⚠No buffer pool percentage or permanence mechanism is stated in any available document, leaving reversal risk for the 5-year crediting period unaddressed

Credit Vintages