Refrigerant demand and prices fall
29th September 2020
EUROPE: The effects of Covid-19 are held at least partly responsible for a fall in refrigerant demand and prices in the quarter to September.
The refrigerant price trends are recorded in the latest report from German consultancy Öko-Recherche.
A strong decrease in demand for R134a was observed in the automotive sector, and prices are said to have decreased at all supply chain levels compared to the previous quarter.
Prices also dropped amid low demand for R410A, as a result of buildings not being used during the Covid-19 pandemic and companies holding back on investments in new air conditioning systems and the servicing and maintenance of existing systems.
R404A prices remained stable during the quarter.
Refrigerant suppliers are reported to have indicated a clear technological shift towards natural refrigerants, at the expense of synthetic lower GWP alternatives such as HFO/HFC blends, for which demand is still said to be low.
Prices of HFO/HFC blends remained either stable or decreased compared to the previous quarter, says Öko-Recherche.
