Up Energy Improved Cookstoves Programme, Uganda – CPA No 031 supported by Republic of Korea

Audit Analysis

The Up Energy Improved Cookstoves project in Uganda has a VVB-confirmed additionality assessment and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but is undermined by eight material findings in the verification report (seven at compliance level), a project-specific baseline, and a striking discrepancy between the ex-ante lifetime estimate (~113,100 tCO₂e over five years) and the 2022 verified figure (600,815 tCO₂e for one year). The monitoring data predates the current crediting period, and most material findings lack documented corrective actions, leaving meaningful gaps in both data reliability and current-period evidence.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠The ex-ante lifetime estimate of ~113,100 tCO₂e (5-year crediting period, 2024–2029) is roughly 27× lower than the 600,815 tCO₂e verified for the single 2022 monitoring period, raising serious questions about baseline consistency or project scope changes between crediting periods.
• ⚠Seven of eight material findings in the verification report are compliance-level (CL) issues involving inconsistent thermal efficiency values, data mismatches with the VPA-DD, and an unclear role for Ecoeye Co., Ltd., yet only one corrective action (rectifying cover-page section numbers) is documented.
• ⚠The sole monitoring period on record (Jan–Dec 2022) falls entirely before the current crediting period (Dec 2024 – Dec 2029), so no verified emissions data exist for the active crediting window.

Credit Vintages Exhausted