Zhongshan County Micro Hydro Project Bundle No.5

Audit Analysis

A small hydro project under Gold Standard AMS I.D. with confirmed additionality, smart-meter monitoring, and delivery at approximately 98% of the pro-rata ex-ante expectation. However, multiple material findings (including a PDD calculation error), a baseline-method contradiction between the PDD and verification report, and low document extraction confidence temper confidence in the data record.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠The PDD contained a calculation error where total emission reductions were computed over 10 years instead of the 7-year crediting period; this was flagged as a material finding and corrected, but it raises questions about the robustness of the original ex-ante estimate.
• ⚠The same monitoring report (dated 2020-10-14) lists two different total ERR claimed values (8,176 and 5,465 tCO2e), an internal inconsistency that undermines confidence in the reported figures.
• ⚠The baseline method is described as 'project' in the 2020 verification report but 'jurisdictional' in the 2018 PDD — an unresolved methodological contradiction that affects baseline credibility.
• ⚠Minimum extraction confidence across the 24 source documents is rated low, meaning at least one key document was poorly readable and some facts may be incomplete or misread.

Credit Vintages