VPA 27 - GHG Emission Reduction through use of Bondhu Chula (Improved Cook Stoves) in Bangladesh

Audit Analysis

The Bondhu Chula cookstove project in Bangladesh has verified additionality and strong end-user adoption (96–98% usage rates), but is undermined by a large volume of material findings, unresolved contradictions in emission-reduction figures, and the absence of a buffer pool for a project type with inherent reversal risk. The extensive corrective-action list and data inconsistencies in the monitoring and verification reports significantly erode confidence in the reported credit volumes.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠No buffer pool or permanence mechanism identified for a cookstove project with inherent reversal risk (stove failure, user reversion to traditional stoves)
• ⚠Contradictory ERR figures within the same monitoring report (157,839 vs 262,185) and across verification reports (262,185 vs 350,831) make the true credit volume uncertain
• ⚠Leakage deduction differs by a factor of five between the monitoring report (5%) and the verification report (0.95%)
• ⚠30+ material findings and 24+ corrective actions identified in the verification report, including inconsistent emission-reduction values, missing sample calculations, and data-transfer errors
• ⚠Crediting period end date (2024-03-31) is imminent or already passed, yet the project's long-term permanence and post-crediting-period obligations are not addressed

Credit Vintages