Austria: HFOs – Regulatory position

Following inquiries by end users of low GWP Fluorocarbon solutions, EFCTC has received a clarification from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management on the regulatory position of HFOs. The uncertainty arose from the definition of HFCs in Ordinance BGBI. II Nr. 447/2002. According to this definition, HFCs are defined as ‘any organic compound that consists solely of Carbon, Hydrogen and Fluorine with a maximum of 6 Carbon atoms per molecule’, and therefore it theoretically could include HFOs. The Austrian Federal Ministry has now confirmed to EFCTC that ‘HFOs are not classified as fluorinated greenhouse gases“ – due to their very low GWP which is comparable to that of normal hydrocarbons.’ Consequently, HFOs are not subject to any of the use restrictions under the Austrian Ordinance.