VPA 100 - GHG Emission Reduction through use of Bondhu Chula (Improved Cook Stoves) in Bangladesh

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard cookstove VPA in Bangladesh with a solid combined additionality test confirmed by the VVB and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but undermined by a project-specific baseline, absence of any buffer pool, a significant discrepancy between the self-reported monitoring figure (352,957 tCO₂e) and the VVB-verified figure (523,571 tCO₂e), and a long list of corrective actions and contradictions across documents. The project is CCP-eligible, introducing dual-channel risk, and the exact match between claimed and verified ERs raises a copy-paste concern.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠The monitoring report (2023-09-25) reports 352,957 tCO₂e while the verification report (2024-08-05) reports 523,571 tCO₂e — a 48% upward adjustment by the VVB that is unusual and unexplained in the extracted record.
• ⚠No buffer pool or permanence mechanism is mentioned in any available document, leaving reversal risk (stove failure, replacement with conventional stoves) unmitigated.
• ⚠FPIC status is contradictory: the validation report (2023-04-25) states FPIC was conducted, while the more recent verification report (2024-08-05) states it was not.
• ⚠The PoA duration of 28 years was challenged against the Gold Standard 20-year maximum and only justified via transition rules (CAR 02), creating governance uncertainty.
• ⚠CCP status is 'eligible' while CORSIA eligibility is not stated, creating potential dual-channel crediting risk.

Credit Vintages