VPA 26 - GHG Emission Reduction through use of Bondhu Chula (Improved Cook Stoves) in Bangladesh

Audit Analysis

The Bondhu Chula cookstove project in Bangladesh has VVB-verified additionality and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but suffers from significant data-quality issues, an unverified 99% usage rate, no buffer pool or permanence mechanism, and no verified emission reduction figure to benchmark against the claimed 157,839 tCO₂e. The project-specific baseline and absence of new installations during the latest monitoring period raise concerns about the robustness and ongoing relevance of the credit claims.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Usage rate of 99% is assumed but never verified in any monitoring report, creating a material over-crediting risk for a project where stove adoption and continued use are the core assumption.
• ⚠No buffer pool or permanence mechanism is stated in any available document, while the stove lifetime (7 years per the verification report) is shorter than the 10-year crediting period, leaving reversal risk unaddressed.
• ⚠The verification report (2023) records that the number of stoves distributed in MP#5 is identical to MP#4 (183,882), and the project developer confirms no new installations post-2015, meaning the project is effectively static yet still generating credits.
• ⚠Multiple material findings flag name inconsistencies between survey forms and the installation database (121 and 91 respondents in separate periods) and missing mobile numbers for all respondents, undermining confidence in the monitoring data.
• ⚠No verified emission reduction figure (total_err_verified) is available in any document, making it impossible to confirm whether the claimed 157,839 tCO₂e is supported by actual monitoring results.

Credit Vintages