VPA 60 - GHG Emission Reduction through use of Bondhu Chula (Improved Cook Stoves) in Bangladesh

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard cookstove project in Bangladesh with VVB-confirmed additionality and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but undermined by a project-specific baseline, absence of a stated buffer pool, a contradiction on whether FPIC was conducted, and numerous administrative corrective actions. The ERR figures are internally consistent within the 2024 verification period, and the conservative usage-rate assumption (90% assumed vs. 98.3% verified) supports claim credibility.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠FPIC contradiction: the 2024 verification report states FPIC was not conducted, while the 2023 validation report records it as conducted — the more recent verification finding is privileged, leaving a safeguard gap
• ⚠No buffer pool percentage or permanence mechanism is stated in any available document, leaving reversal risk unaddressed despite the 5-year crediting period
• ⚠FNRB method is inconsistent across documents: the 2024 verification report cites a national default (0.843) while the 2023 validation report references a local field measurement — the basis of the emission factor is unclear
• ⚠17+ corrective actions were raised by the VVB, including missing major-changes list, unclear PoA duration compliance, and unconfirmed grievance-book implementation at branch offices

Credit Vintages