VPA 31 - GHG Emission Reduction through use of Bondhu Chula (Improved Cook Stoves) in Bangladesh

Audit Analysis

The Bondhu Chula cookstove project in Bangladesh has a confirmed additionality assessment and a 5% leakage deduction, but suffers from significant data-quality issues in monitoring (identical stove counts across consecutive periods, name inconsistencies, missing respondent data) and an unaddressed reversal risk inherent to finite-lifetime cookstoves. The 99% assumed usage rate, project-specific baseline, and absence of a buffer pool or verified usage data create moderate over-crediting risk.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Reversal risk for cookstoves (finite ~5-year lifetime) is explicitly 'not addressed' in the verification report, and no buffer pool percentage is stated
• ⚠The verification report notes the number of improved cookstoves distributed in MP#5 (183,882) is identical to MP#4, raising questions about whether new installations were actually made or whether the same stock is being re-counted
• ⚠Multiple material findings flag name inconsistencies between survey forms and the installation database (121 respondents in MS1, 91 in MS2) and missing mobile numbers for all respondents, undermining the reliability of the usage survey data
• ⚠A 99% usage rate is assumed in the ex-ante calculation but no verified usage rate is reported in any available document

Credit Vintages