UpEnergy-Social and Climate Impact Programme- Cooking Devices VPA-41

Audit Analysis

The UpEnergy cooking-device project in Malawi has a VVB-verified additionality assessment and no reported reversal events, but is undermined by a project-specific baseline, a 0% leakage deduction with contradictory justifications across documents, a 34% discrepancy in claimed emission reductions, and a major crediting-period inconsistency (5 years vs 15 years). Fourteen corrective actions flagged by the VVB indicate material gaps in the monitoring and reporting process.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Crediting period stated as 2026–2030 (5 years) in the validation report but 2024–2039 (15 years) in the PDD — a threefold difference that materially affects the lifetime ERR basis
• ⚠Claimed ERR of 261,248 tCO₂e in the verification report versus 195,171 tCO₂e in an earlier (2024) document — a 34% unexplained increase
• ⚠Leakage deduction of 0% with the justification described as 'quantified' in the verification report but 'deemed negligible' in the monitoring report
• ⚠Fourteen corrective actions required by the VVB, including calculation errors in charcoal moisture content, inconsistent emission-reduction caps, and non-compliant stakeholder consultation documentation

Credit Vintages