Up Energy Improved Cookstoves Programme, Uganda – CPA No 005

Audit Analysis

The Up Energy Improved Cookstoves project in Uganda operates under Gold Standard with a 20% buffer pool and no reported reversals, but suffers from significant data-quality issues including dozens of material findings, a contradiction on whether the VVB verified additionality, and a verified ERR figure that is roughly 22 times the pro-rata ex-ante expectation for the monitoring period. The exact match between claimed and verified ERR (200,769 tCO₂e) and the volume of unresolved data inconsistencies across multiple documents raise meaningful concerns about MRV robustness and over-crediting risk.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Verified ERR of 200,769 tCO₂e for a 6-month monitoring period is approximately 22× the pro-rata ex-ante expectation (~9,048 tCO₂e), suggesting either massive unreported project expansion or a fundamental error in the ex-ante baseline
• ⚠Claimed and verified ERR are identical (200,769 tCO₂e), indicating no independent adjustment or conservative haircut was applied by the VVB
• ⚠Additionality was NOT verified by the VVB per the most recent verification report (Jan 2025), contradicting the earlier 2021 report that confirmed it
• ⚠FPIC status is contradictory: the Jan 2024 verification report states it was not conducted, while the Feb 2025 validation report states it was conducted
• ⚠Dozens of material findings and corrective actions across multiple verification cycles indicate persistent data-quality and documentation-control problems

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