Regulation (EU) No. 517/2014 on fluorinated greenhouse gases

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Regulation (EU) No. 517/2014

Title: Regulation (EU) No. 517/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 16, 2014 on fluorinated greenhouse gases and repealing Regulation (EC) No. 842/2006
Designation:
(not official) 		F-gas regulation
Scope: EEA
Legal matter: Environmental law
Basis: Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union , specifically Articles 192 and 294
Procedure overview: European Commission
European Parliament
IPEX Wiki
Date of issue: April 16, 2014
Release date: May 20, 2014
Come into effect: June 9, 2014
To be used from: January 1, 2015
Replaces: Regulation (EC) No. 842/2006
Reference: OJ L 150, May 20, 2014, pp. 195-230
Full text Consolidated version (not official)
basic version
Regulation has entered into force and is applicable.
Please note the information on the current version of legal acts of the European Union !

Gradual reduction in sales volumes by 2030

The new F-Gas Regulation (actually Regulation (EU) No. 517/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 16, 2014 on fluorinated greenhouse gases and repealing Regulation (EC) No. 842/2006 ) replaces the previous regulation (EC) No. 842/2006 on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases . The new F-Gas Ordinance will come into force on June 9, 2014 and will apply from January 1, 2015. Refrigerant charge quantities will then no longer be weighted in kg, but according to their global warming potential. It aims to reduce emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) in the EU from 2005 levels by 60% to 35 million tonnes of CO 2 equivalent by 2030. With the regulation, the states of the EU want to meet their obligations from the Kigali amendments to the Montreal Protocol .

This is supposed to be done by the

  • Introduction of a gradual limitation of the quantities of partially fluorinated hydrocarbons ( HFCs ) available on the market to one fifth of today's sales quantities by 2030,
  • Issuing bans on use and placing on the market as soon as possible,
  • Extension of the existing regulations on leak tests, certification, disposal and labeling

can be achieved.

Prohibitions

Existing systems may initially continue to be used without restriction. However, there are operator obligations to reduce emissions, for example through leak tests and the obligation to close leaks immediately.

Placing bans on the market

Since January 1, 2015, the placing on the market of fire protection equipment with HFC-23 and refrigerators with HFC with a global warming potential of more than 150 has been prohibited.

From January 1, 2020, commercially used cooling devices may only be placed on the market if they contain HFCs with a global warming potential of less than 150.

From 2020, the placing on the market of mono- split air conditioning systems with less than 3 kg of fluorinated greenhouse gases that require HFCs with a global warming potential of more than 750 will be prohibited.

Use bans

Individual bans affect, among other things, the use of sulfur hexafluoride in magnesium die- casting, also for systems that use less than 850 kg SF 6 per year.

The use of refrigerants (meaning filling with fresh goods!) With a global warming potential of more than 2,500 (GWP) is also prohibited for existing systems with a filling quantity of more than 40 tonnes of CO 2 equivalent from January 1, 2020.

From 2020, XPS foams may only contain HFCs with a global warming potential of less than 150.

Reducing the release

Even the manufacturers of fluorinated compounds have to take all precautions to “limit as much as possible” of emissions, including during subsequent transport and storage.

All (refrigeration and air conditioning) systems that contain more than five tons of CO 2 equivalent must undergo a leakage check at least once a year, which is to be arranged by the operator. The tests are to be documented by the operator and the specialist company that carried them out. These records are to be kept for at least 5 years and made available to the competent authority on request.

This annual inspection interval is shortened for systems

  • which contain more than 50 tons of CO 2 equivalent F-gases, on a semi-annual basis, and for those,
  • containing more than 500 tonnes of CO 2 equivalent F-gases, on a quarterly inspection.

Systems that contain more than 500 tons of CO 2 equivalent F-gases must also have a leakage detection system ; this is a calibrated mechanical, electrical or electronic device that detects the release of fluorinated greenhouse gases from leaks and warns the operator or maintenance contractor of every leak. With the leakage detection system, the otherwise required time intervals between the leakage tests are doubled (5  t = 24 months, 50  t = 12 months, 500  t = 6 months). However, this leakage detection system must be checked every 12 months. As a result, such a system only makes sense to reduce emissions, not to reduce the leakage test intervals.

In addition, the operators of stationary equipment or refrigeration systems of refrigerated trucks and trailers have to ensure the recovery of the fluorinated greenhouse gases that were contained therein by natural persons with a certificate; This regulation also regulates their certification.

In addition, other technical standards and guidelines apply to refrigeration systems, which in any case specify a regular leak test (at least annually). So the BGR 500, part 2.35, the industrial safety regulation , the VDMA standard sheet 24186 and the DIN EN 378 (parts 1–4).

Sanctions

The regulation obliges the member states to create rules to enforce them and to take measures that effectively discourage violations. In addition to this mandate, which is customary under European law, the regulation regulates a future reduction of their quota by twice the amount by which they have exceeded their quota as a sanction for companies that have exceeded the maximum amount assigned to their quota system for placing partially fluorinated hydrocarbons on the market .

In Germany, violations of certain marketing or use bans constitute a criminal offense under the Chemicals Act ; other violations are punished as an administrative offense.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ EU countries trigger entry into force of the Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol. European Commission, November 17, 2017, accessed December 21, 2017 .
  2. ↑ EU regulation on fluorinated greenhouse gases. Federal Environment Agency , December 12, 2016, accessed on April 29, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Article 3, Paragraph 3 of the Regulation
  4. ↑ Art. 7 para. 1 of the regulation
  5. ↑ Art. 6 para. 2 of the regulation
  6. ↑ Art. 2 no. 29 and Art. 5 of the regulation
  7. ↑ Art. 8 of the regulation
  8. ↑ Art. 25 of the regulation
  9. ↑ Sections 17 and 18 of the Chemicals Sanctions Ordinance with reference to Sections 26 and 27 of the ChemG.