VPA 82 - GHG Emission Reduction through use of Bondhu Chula (Improved Cook Stoves) in Bangladesh

Audit Analysis

This Gold Standard cookstove VPA in Bangladesh has a VVB-confirmed combined additionality test and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but is undermined by a project-specific baseline, contradictory FPIC and safeguards reporting across documents, and an extraordinary 160× over-delivery of verified emissions reductions relative to the pro-rata ex-ante lifetime estimate. The large volume of corrective actions and multiple cross-document contradictions on key parameters (FNRB method, usage rate, crediting period) reduce confidence in the robustness of the credit claims.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Verified emissions reductions of 523,571 tCO₂e for a single monitoring year are approximately 160× the pro-rata expectation of ~3,276 tCO₂e derived from the 49,146 tCO₂e lifetime ex-ante estimate over a 15-year crediting period — a discrepancy that demands explanation (possible scope expansion, unit error, or per-stove vs. total basis mismatch).
• ⚠FPIC status is contradictory: the 2024 verification report states it was not conducted, while the 2023 validation report states it was conducted. The more recent verification report is privileged, leaving a safeguards gap.
• ⚠18+ corrective actions were required across the verification and validation processes, including unresolved issues on stakeholder consultation applicability, grievance mechanism implementation at branch offices, and double-counting prevention for stove serial numbers.
• ⚠FNRB method is inconsistent across documents: the 2024 verification report cites a national default (0.843) while the 2023 validation report cites a local field measurement, raising questions about which value underpins the credit calculation.

Credit Vintages