Published : 02 Oct 2013
- Fluorinated gases, otherwise known as
F-gases, are a range of industrial gases
which have a powerful effect on the climate.
As EU policy makers consider further proposals
to limit the use of these gases, the European
Environment Agency (EEA) has published data
on their production, import and export.
Reducing F-gases’ effect
on the climate requires an innovative approach
from industry. In the future, it will likely
be supported by a stronger EU policy limiting
the use of F-gases with high global warming
potentials.
Hans Bruyninckx, EEA
Executive Director
There are three main
categories of F-gases - hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulphur
hexafluoride (SF6). Their global warming
potential (GWP) varies widely, but can be
very high - a single tonne of SF6 has the
same global warming potential as almost
24 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2).
This means quantities
of F-gases are expressed in two different
ways: in metric tonnes, and also in global
warming potential (GWP) weighted tonnes,
or CO2 equivalent tonnes. Such units take
into account the gases’ overall effect on
the climate.
Some F-gases are used
as replacements for ozone-depleting substances,
which are largely being phased out in the
EU in compliance with the Montreal Protocol
and EU legislation. This means that F-gas
use is increasing in a number of applications.
F-gases accounted for
approximately 2 % of EU overall greenhouse
gas emissions in 2010 (CO2 equivalent),
and this share continues to increase. While
emissions of all other main groups of greenhouse
gases reduced significantly between 11000
and 2011, F-gases emissions have increased
more than 50 % over this period, when measured
in CO2 equivalent.
To control these gases,
the European Commission proposed a new F-Gas
Regulation in 2012, which aims to cut current
F-gas levels by two thirds by 2030. The
proposed policy maintains many features
of the current legislation, and would also
progressively phase down sales of some gases
on the EU market while simultaneously banning
F-gases with a high GWP. This proposal is
still being negotiated by the European Parliament
and Council.
Under the current F-Gas
Regulation, Member States must improve the
leak-tightness of equipment containing F-gases,
and avoid using them when there are environmentally-superior
alternatives.
Hans Bruyninckx, EEA
Executive Director, said: “Reducing F-gases’
effect on the climate requires an innovative
approach from industry. In the future, it
will likely be supported by a stronger EU
policy limiting the use of F-gases with
high global warming potentials.”
Current trends
Companies producing,
importing or exporting more than one tonne
of F-gases must report quantities to the
European Commission. The overall quantities,
reported by 129 companies, are published
today by the EEA, ‘Fluorinated Greenhouse
Gases 2012’. Volumes of gases are given
in both metric tonnes and CO2-equivalent.
When expressed in terms
of CO2-equivalent, exports of F-gases during
the last two years were at their highest
levels since reporting started in 2007,
the report says. Imports of F-gases decreased
by 10 % between 2011 and 2012, while the
‘net supply[1]’ of F-gases in 2012 shows
little change from 2011.
Of the net supply of
F-gases in the EU, HFCs used in refrigeration
and air conditioning account for 62 % (CO2
equivalent). Manufacturing electrical equipment
sometimes uses SF6, and this accounted for
23 % of the net supply. The HFCs used in
aerosols were responsible for 6 %. Other
HFC uses include fire protection and foams.
