VPA 18 - GHG Emission Reduction through use of Bondhu Chula (Improved Cook Stoves) in Bangladesh

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard cook-stove project in Bangladesh with VVB-confirmed additionality and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but undermined by an extensive list of over 30 material findings and 25 corrective actions spanning data inconsistencies, missing calculations, and database errors. The project-specific baseline, absence of a buffer pool, and lack of a lifetime ex-ante ERR estimate limit confidence in the permanence and additionality claims. Overall a mid-range project with meaningful data-quality concerns that were addressed through corrective actions but leave residual risk.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Over 30 material findings reported in the 2023 verification report, including inconsistent emission-reduction values across MR sections, missing sample calculations, and database errors affecting 47,508 end-user records
• ⚠No buffer pool or permanence mechanism identified in any available document, leaving cook-stove reversal risk (breakage, replacement with conventional stoves) unmitigated
• ⚠Project-specific baseline with no documented reassessment date; the 2022 validation report lists a different crediting period (2021–2026) than the 2023 verification report (2014–2024), creating uncertainty about the applicable baseline window
• ⚠Lifetime ex-ante ERR estimate not found in any document, preventing a pro-rata over/under-delivery check against the 262,185 tCO₂e verified for the 2020–2022 monitoring period

Credit Vintages