Update on F-Gas Regulations…

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Recently, the European Commission published its long-awaited proposal for a full revision of the EU F-Gas regulation (842/2006). As indicated in our earlier communications Harp will keep you posted on the developments in this area. The proposal is very extensive, and it will take some time to conduct a full assessment, but we believe it useful to send you a quick summary of the key changes compared to the existing F-Gas Regulation.

 

Key Elements

The proposal consists of Seven Chapters and Seven annexes

Chapter I – General Provisions (definitions)

Please note that HFOs are not classified as HFCs and only not subject to chapter V (reporting).

Chapter II – Containment – extension to refrigerated transport and tightening of some other provisions

Chapter III – Placing on the Market and Use Control (discussed below)

Chapter IV – Reduction of HFC Consumption (discussed below)

Chapter V – Reporting

Chapter VI – Final Provisions, including penalties

7 Annexes

Use Restrictions

The proposal introduces two GWP ceilings, one of 2500 and one of 150.

• The use of fluids with GWP > 2500 prohibited for servicing Refrigeration equipment with a charge size > 5 t CO2-eq, starting 2020
• Pre-charging of Refrigeration, A/C and Heat Pumps prohibited from 1/1/2017 (3 years after entry into force)
• Hermetically sealed systems exempted

The table below summarises the new use restrictions:

Reduction of HFC Consumption

Products and Equipment	Date of prohibition
Use of HFC-23 in fire protection systems and fire extinguishers	1 January 2015
Domestic refrigerators and freezers with HFCs with GWP of 150 or more	1 January 2015
Refrigerators and freezers for commercial use (hermetically sealed systems)	1 January 2017 for HFC’s with GWP of 2500 or more; and, 1 January 2020 for HFCs with GWP of 150 or more
Moveable room air-conditioning appliances (hermetically sealed) with HFCs with GWP of 150 or more	1 January 2020

As expected, the Commission proposes to reduce the quantity of HFCs that can be placed on the market between 2015 and 2030 by 79%. This will be achieved through systems in which producers and importers who have been reporting the quantities sold in the EU to the Commission under the F-Gas regulation reporting requirement will receive quotas. They will receive a quota equal to 95% of their average sales (in tonnes CO2-eq.) in 2008 – 2011.

The reduction schedule is as follows:

Years	%
2015	100%
2016-17	93%
2018-20	63%
2021-23	45%
2024-26	31%
2027-29	24%
2030	21%

 

Other provisions

Products containing F-gas must be properly labelled, indicating the compounds and the quantity (except for insulation foam). At present, no new restrictions are proposed for aerosols and insulation foam. The Commission, however, is empowered to include other products in the use controls list prohibiting the use of fluids with a GWP greater than 150 if it has been established that alternatives to the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases or to the use of specific types of fluorinated greenhouse gases are available, and their use would result in lower overall greenhouse gas emissions.

Next Steps

The Proposal will now be discussed by the European Parliament and the Council (Member States) who must reach agreement on the final version. We expect that both will wish to introduce changes to the proposal, and the legislative process will take a minimum of one year, although we believe that two years is more likely. The formal deliberations will not start until early in 2013, and we intend to follow up on this communication in greater detail before that time. We would also make recommendations for an outreach programme with national authorities and your MEPs.