ShareEuropean "F-gas" Regulation revision: EC proposal released
The European Commission presented its final proposal for a revision of the existing F-gas Regulation on November 7, 2012.
The main measure consists in a gradual phase down of HFCs using the 2008-2011 total quantity of HFCs placed on the market as a baseline. However, the ban on the use of HFCs in new industrial and commercial equipment envisaged in the draft proposal has been abandoned.
The European Commission presented its final proposal for a revision of the existing Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 on fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) on November 7, 2012.
The main measure consists in a gradual phase down of HFCs using the 2008-2011 total quantity of HFCs placed on the market (produced and imported into the EU) as a baseline.
The document proposes a freeze by 2015 and a reduction to 93% of this figure by 2017, 63% by 2020, 45% by 2023, 31% by 2026, 24% by 2029 and 21% by 2030, which is similar to the phase-down objective laid down in the proposal to the Montreal Protocol put forward by the USA, Canada and Mexico.
This proposal also includes a ban on HFCs in domestic, hermetically sealed commercial systems (usually small) and movable air-conditioners according to the following rules:
. Domestic refrigerators and freezers running on HFCs with a GWP of 150 or more will be prohibited by January 1, 2015.
. Refrigerators and freezers for commercial use (hermetically sealed systems) will be prohibited by January 1, 2017 for HFCs with a GWP of 2500 or more and by January 1, 2020 for HFCs with a GWP of 150 or more.
. Movable room air-conditioning appliances (hermetically sealed) using HFCs with a GWP of 150 or more will be prohibited by January 1, 2020.
The use of HFCs with a GWP of 2500 or more, to service refrigeration equipment with a charge size equivalent to 5 tonnes of CO2 or more shall be prohibited by 2020.
However, the ban on the use of HFCs in new industrial and commercial equipment envisaged in the draft proposal has been abandoned.
From 2015, refrigeration equipment shall not be charged with HFCs before it is placed on the market or before it is made available to the end-user for its first installation.
“Checks for leakage” of refrigeration equipment – specified in the current F-gas Regulation – shall be carried out with frequencies depending on the charge of HFCs calculated in CO2 equivalents.
The proposal will be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council for discussion and adoption under the ordinary legislative procedure.
Consult the final EC proposal here
The main measure consists in a gradual phase down of HFCs using the 2008-2011 total quantity of HFCs placed on the market (produced and imported into the EU) as a baseline.
The document proposes a freeze by 2015 and a reduction to 93% of this figure by 2017, 63% by 2020, 45% by 2023, 31% by 2026, 24% by 2029 and 21% by 2030, which is similar to the phase-down objective laid down in the proposal to the Montreal Protocol put forward by the USA, Canada and Mexico.
This proposal also includes a ban on HFCs in domestic, hermetically sealed commercial systems (usually small) and movable air-conditioners according to the following rules:
. Domestic refrigerators and freezers running on HFCs with a GWP of 150 or more will be prohibited by January 1, 2015.
. Refrigerators and freezers for commercial use (hermetically sealed systems) will be prohibited by January 1, 2017 for HFCs with a GWP of 2500 or more and by January 1, 2020 for HFCs with a GWP of 150 or more.
. Movable room air-conditioning appliances (hermetically sealed) using HFCs with a GWP of 150 or more will be prohibited by January 1, 2020.
The use of HFCs with a GWP of 2500 or more, to service refrigeration equipment with a charge size equivalent to 5 tonnes of CO2 or more shall be prohibited by 2020.
However, the ban on the use of HFCs in new industrial and commercial equipment envisaged in the draft proposal has been abandoned.
From 2015, refrigeration equipment shall not be charged with HFCs before it is placed on the market or before it is made available to the end-user for its first installation.
“Checks for leakage” of refrigeration equipment – specified in the current F-gas Regulation – shall be carried out with frequencies depending on the charge of HFCs calculated in CO2 equivalents.
The proposal will be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council for discussion and adoption under the ordinary legislative procedure.
Consult the final EC proposal here