Brussels, 07/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - To further reduce fluorinated gas emissions (F-gases) and reduce their costs, the European Commission presented a new draft regulation on Wednesday 7 November to gradually phase out Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) from the market and ban F-gases in certain new equipment such as household refrigerators, when reliable climate friendly exchange solutions are available. These industrial gases produce greenhouse gas emissions and are used in an increasing number of applications such as air conditioning, refrigeration systems, aerosols and extinguishers. The Commission's phase-down measure intends to limit the total amount of the most significant group of F-gases - HFCs - that can be sold in the EU from 2015 and reduces this in steps to one fifth of today's sales by 2030 and aims to reduce F-gas emissions by two-thirds of today's levels by the same date.
The Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard, explained that, “by limiting the amount of f-gases that can be sold in the EU, this new legislation will benefit the climate and create great business opportunities”. Isaac Valero-Ladron, the spokesman for the Commissioner said that they were proposing a ban because the impact study they carried out demonstrated that available technologies on the market would allow them to go further than gradual phasing out.
F-gases (HFCs, PFCs and SF6) per tonne have a global warming effect of between 140 and 23,900 more (measured over 100 year period) than CO2 and are regulated in the EU by Regulation EC 842/2006 of 17 May 2006. However, without additional measures, current levels of these gases will be maintained over the long-term. The new legislative draft is aimed at replacing the regulation in force and is expected to help achieve the EU's long-term climate target (a reduction of between 80% and 95% of greenhouse gas emissions, compared to 1990 levels) and together with the roadmap on a low carbon fuel economy by 2050 frames the EU's trajectory for greenhouse gas emission reduction by the sectors responsible for producing the most emissions. It also plans a reduction of 72%-73% up to 2030 in the F-gas sector (sectors that do not include CO2 emissions).
Under Regulation 842/2006, companies are now required to adopt a broad range of measures to reduce F-gas leakage from equipment containing F-gases and to recover the gases at the end of the equipment's lifetime. The current Regulation also establishes requirements on training and certification for personnel involved in servicing and working with these gases. The new draft regulation is in response to a request by the European Parliament and includes findings from a public consultation (see EUROPE 10460). (AN/trans/fl)