VPA 49 - 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 weakened by the absence of a buffer pool, a project-specific baseline, and ten cross-document contradictions that raise data-reliability concerns. The verified usage rate (0.9833) exceeds the assumed rate (0.9), suggesting conservative assumptions, yet the lack of an ex-ante lifetime ERR figure prevents a full pro-rata delivery check. Extensive corrective actions and medium extraction confidence further temper confidence in the documentation record.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠No buffer pool percentage is stated in any available document, leaving reversal risk (stove failure or replacement with conventional stoves) unmitigated for a 15-year crediting period.
• ⚠Ten contradictions across documents—including conflicting FPIC status (true in the 2023 validation report vs. false in the 2024 verification report), differing additionality test types, and two different crediting-period end dates—indicate significant data-reliability issues.
• ⚠The ex-ante lifetime ERR figure is not found in the extracted record, making a pro-rata over- or under-delivery assessment impossible.
• ⚠Eighteen or more corrective actions were required across the verification and monitoring cycle, spanning formatting errors, missing design-change listings, and unresolved stakeholder-consultation questions.

Credit Vintages