Up Energy Improved Cookstoves Programme, Uganda – CPA No 023

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard improved cookstove project in Uganda using the standardized AMS-II.G. methodology, with VVB-confirmed additionality, quantified leakage (~5%), and no reported reversal events. However, the project is undermined by an extensive list of material findings (20+), 22 corrective actions, and numerous contradictions between documents—including a critical crediting-period discrepancy (2019–2026 vs. 2024–2029) and conflicting FNRB method designations—raising serious data-reliability concerns.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Crediting period stated as 2019-12-05 to 2026-12-04 in the monitoring report but 2024-12-05 to 2029-12-04 in the validation report—a fundamental inconsistency that suggests an undocumented project transition or a serious clerical error.
• ⚠Verified ERR (159,978 tCO₂e) exceeds the project's own claimed ERR (136,398 tCO₂e) in the same monitoring cycle, an unusual inversion that raises over-crediting or data-entry concerns.
• ⚠FNRB method is recorded as 'national_default' in the 2025 verification report but 'local_field' in the 2025 validation report, creating ambiguity about whether the 0.82 factor is a generic default or a site-specific measurement.
• ⚠FPIC status is contradictory: the 2024 verification report records it as not conducted, while the 2025 validation report records it as conducted.
• ⚠22 corrective actions and 20+ material findings (including incorrect VPA titles, mismatched distribution numbers, circular references in ex-ante ER values, and missing SDG indicators) indicate systemic documentation quality problems.

Credit Vintages