VPA 13 - GHG Emission Reduction through use of Bondhu Chula (Improved Cook Stoves) in Bangladesh

Audit Analysis

This Gold Standard cookstove project in Bangladesh has a sound design foundation with VVB-confirmed additionality and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but is undermined by a large volume of data-quality findings (35+ material findings, 27 corrective actions), an unresolved internal contradiction in the claimed ERR within the same monitoring report, and the absence of a stated buffer pool or baseline reassessment schedule. The project's claim safety is further weakened by a project-specific baseline, a PoA duration that exceeded the Gold Standard 20-year maximum (justified via transition rules), and the lack of a lifetime ex-ante ERR figure to enable a proper pro-rata delivery check.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠The monitoring report (2023-10-18) contains two different claimed ERR values — 262,185 and 157,839 — within the same document, creating a 65% discrepancy that cannot be resolved from the available record.
• ⚠35+ material findings and 27 corrective actions were raised by TÜV NORD CERT, including inconsistent ER values across MR sections, missing sample calculations, and widespread database errors (47,508 missing phone numbers, invalid entries).
• ⚠The PoA duration of 28 years exceeded the Gold Standard 20-year maximum and was only justified via transition rules (CAR 02), raising questions about the robustness of the project design.
• ⚠The lifetime ex-ante ERR estimate is not found in the extracted record, preventing a meaningful pro-rata comparison of verified delivery against the original design estimate.

Credit Vintages