UK opens F-gas phase-down consultation

UK: The government’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), has opened its consultation portal seeking views on proposals to amend the F-gas phasedown schedule in Great Britain.

DEFRA proposes changing the HFC phase-down in the F gas regulation by adjusting the existing schedule (which is set out in Annex 5 of the F-gas regulation) from 2027 and adding further steps from 2030 until 2050. It would reduce the HFC quota in England, Scotland and Wales by 46.1 million tonnes of CO2e from 2027-2050.

Those adjustments would mean revising the end target of the phasedown, ie replacing the 79% reduction by 2030 target with a 98.6% reduction by 2048 target. 

The consultation – which closes at 23:59 on 17 December – seeks views from industry and stakeholders on the detailed design of the revised phasedown and its implementation. According to DEFRA, the proposal has been developed based on ongoing engagement with industry. 

“The proposed reforms will result in even greater carbon emissions savings than from the current phasedown, supporting the UK government’s Clean Energy and Net Zero Mission and ensuring the nation continues to meet its international obligations under the Montreal Protocol,” DEFRA said in a statement.

DEFRA insists that the proposals will ensure that there will be enough HFCs quota available to support the rollout of heat pumps, with manufacturers and importers getting sufficient allocation early on to allow time for them to move to alternatives.

Links to the consultation and supporting information are available from the DEFRA website.