F-gas revision passes final hurdle

BRUSSELS: As expected, the Council of the European Union has passed the revision to the F-gas regulations.

Today’s final adoption of the legislation by the Council follows the agreement reached at first reading with the European Parliament on March 12. The decision was “rubber-stamped” without discussion at a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council.

The Regulation, which comes into force on 1 January 2015, will impose a number of new conditions to the F-gas regulations including product and service bans and an HFC phase-down timetable.

The regulation introduces bans on the placing on the market of the following products:

• Domestic refrigerators and freezers containing HFCs with a global warming potential (GWP) of 150 or more as from 1 January 2015;

• Refrigerators and freezers for commercial use containing HFCs with a GWP of 2500 or more from 1 January 2020, and containing HFCs with a GWP of 150 or more from 1 January 2022;

• Stationary refrigeration equipment that contains or relies upon for its functioning HFCs with a GWP of 2500 or more from 1 January 2020;

• Centralised refrigeration systems for commercial use with a capacity of 40kW or more that contain or rely upon their functioning, fluorinated gases with a GWP of 150 or more, from 1 January 2022;

• Movable room air-conditioning appliances that contain HFCs with GWP of 150 or more from 1 January 2020;

• Single split air-conditioning systems containing less than 3kg of F-gases that contain F-gases with a GWP of 750 or more from 1 January 2025;

• Foams that contain HFCs with a GWP of 150 or more, extruded polystyrene from 1 January 2020 and other foams 1 January 2023; and

• Technical aerosols that contain HFCs with a GWP of 150 or more from 1 January 2018.

The regulation introduces a phase-down mechanism involving a gradually declining cap on the total placement of bulk HFCs (in tonnes of CO2 equivalent) on the market in the EU with a freeze in 2015, followed by a first reduction in 2016-2017 and reaching 21 % of the levels sold in 2009-12 by 2030.