VPA 93 - GHG Emission Reduction through use of Bondhu Chula (Improved Cook Stoves) in Bangladesh

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard cookstove VPA in Bangladesh with verified additionality and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but weakened by the absence of a buffer pool over a 15-year crediting period, non-conduct of FPIC, a project-specific baseline, and a substantial list of corrective actions and cross-document contradictions. The verified usage rate (98.3%) exceeding the assumed rate (90%) is a positive conservatism signal, yet the lack of a lifetime ex-ante estimate prevents a meaningful pro-rata delivery check.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠No buffer pool or permanence mechanism stated for a 15-year crediting period on a cookstove project where stove abandonment or replacement is a realistic reversal risk
• ⚠FPIC was not conducted per the 2024 verification report, despite the project targeting household users in Bangladesh
• ⚠17+ corrective actions and 5 material findings remain open or recently resolved, indicating significant documentation and process gaps
• ⚠The PoA duration of 28 years was challenged against the Gold Standard 20-year maximum and justified only via transition rules (CAR 02)
• ⚠No lifetime ex-ante emission reduction estimate is available in the extracted record, preventing a pro-rata over/under-delivery assessment

Credit Vintages