What can we expect from the European Union F-Gas Regulations in 2021?
25/11/2020
The F-Gas regulations include further phase down of quotas for F-Gas imports at the start of 2021 in the Europe Union (EU). We’ve taken a look at what these will be and the landscape following Brexit.
The F-Regulation phase downs in the EU
The purpose of the F-Gas regulations are to reduce the environmental impact of the hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) industry and its products.
The current F-Gas regulations have been in force since 1st January 2015. Updated changes included the plan to cut 2014 sales down by one fifth by 2030. This will result in cutting F-Gas emissions by two thirds from 2014 numbers by 2030.
At the start of 2020, it was announced that the production of products with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 2,500 and over must be halted. 2021 will see the EU allowed quota of F-Gas phase down to 45% of the baseline, a reduction of 18% from the 2019-2020 quota (limited to 63% of the baseline).
How this will affect the UK
The UK left the EU on 1st February 2020 and the Brexit transitional period ends on the 31st December 2020. From the 1st January 2021, the EU F-Gas regulations will no longer apply to the UK. However the UK government will be adopting the EU regulations in UK legislation. Therefore, the phase down quota to 45% of the baseline will also apply to the UK in 2021.
Though guidelines will continue to be aligned with the EU, UK businesses will need to interact with new GB IT systems. This includes businesses applying for the quota for the first time. More information regarding GB systems and methods of operation can be found on the GOV.UK website.
A move to low GWP products
The F-Gas regulations and quota phase downs have pushed HFC manufacturers to innovate and develop low GWP refrigerant solutions. Maintaining high performance with a significantly lower impact on the environment can have its challenges.
With 50 years experience of innovation and a secure mine-to-market structure, Koura has developed a range of low GWP Klea® refrigerants. Our next-gen refrigerants deliver a lower environmental impact and a significantly improved performance than current products on the market.
Find out more about our next-gen refrigerants and low GWP solutions in line with F-Gas regulations here.