EU F-Gas Regulation review: widespread bans requested by the rapporteur
The European Parliament’s rapporteur on the review of the current F-Gas Regulation proposed by the European Commission has submitted a report calling for widespread bans on the use of HFCs and a stricter phase-down target.
The European Parliament’s rapporteur on the review of the current F-Gas Regulation proposed by the European Commission has submitted a report calling for widespread bans on the use of HFCs and a stricter phase-down target.
The amendments recommended by the rapporteur to the European Parliament include strengthened containment and recovery measures, earlier bans for hermetically sealed equipment and additional bans on new refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment containing HFCs as of 2015, with stationary equipment (other than centrifugal chillers) banned from 2020 and mobile equipment (other than fishing vessels) from 2025.
The rapporteur also proposes to bring forward the refrigeration servicing ban on very high-GWP HFCs (GWP > 2150) to 2015 (compared with 2020), while increasing the charge size threshold from 5 to 40 tonnes CO2-eq and exempting very-low-temperature systems (below -50°C).
This is supported by a parallel provision to mandate that where high-GWP HFCs are used to service refrigeration equipment outside the scope of the servicing ban, they must be recovered gases as of 2017.
The rapporteur also recommends to strengthen the phase-down schedule by proposing an overall 84% phase-down target by 2030 in CO2-eq compared with the previously 79% target by the Commission. He additionally recommends an allocation fee for placing bulk HFCs on the market corresponding to 30€ per tonne of CO2-equivalent.
Members of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee had until March 28, 2013, to submit amendments to the report, after which it will be debated in the Committee and put to a vote on June 19, 2013.
www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2f%2fEP%2f%2fNONSGML%2bCOMPARL%2bPE-506.101%2b01%2bDOC%2bPDF%2bV0%2f%2fEN
The amendments recommended by the rapporteur to the European Parliament include strengthened containment and recovery measures, earlier bans for hermetically sealed equipment and additional bans on new refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment containing HFCs as of 2015, with stationary equipment (other than centrifugal chillers) banned from 2020 and mobile equipment (other than fishing vessels) from 2025.
The rapporteur also proposes to bring forward the refrigeration servicing ban on very high-GWP HFCs (GWP > 2150) to 2015 (compared with 2020), while increasing the charge size threshold from 5 to 40 tonnes CO2-eq and exempting very-low-temperature systems (below -50°C).
This is supported by a parallel provision to mandate that where high-GWP HFCs are used to service refrigeration equipment outside the scope of the servicing ban, they must be recovered gases as of 2017.
The rapporteur also recommends to strengthen the phase-down schedule by proposing an overall 84% phase-down target by 2030 in CO2-eq compared with the previously 79% target by the Commission. He additionally recommends an allocation fee for placing bulk HFCs on the market corresponding to 30€ per tonne of CO2-equivalent.
Members of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee had until March 28, 2013, to submit amendments to the report, after which it will be debated in the Committee and put to a vote on June 19, 2013.
www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2f%2fEP%2f%2fNONSGML%2bCOMPARL%2bPE-506.101%2b01%2bDOC%2bPDF%2bV0%2f%2fEN