Annual inventory of refrigerant emissions for France métropole reports decreasing HFC emissions

The Alliance Froid Climatisation Environnement (AFCE) has published the 2021 annual inventory of refrigerant emissions for France, commissioned from Citepa, with results for 2022 being a provisional estimate. In 2021, HFC emissions represent only 2.4% of France's greenhouse gas emissions. From a sectoral point of view, 83% of fluorinated gas emissions are attributable to refrigeration and air conditioning applications.

HFC emissions (in metric tonnes) are down 4.7% compared to 2020 and between 2021 and 2022, forecasts a decline of more than 7%. According to the report, refrigerant emissions are decreasing, due to improved practices, improved operator training and the increasing efficiency of end-of-life sectors. Regulations, voluntary agreements from the profession but also the increase in HFC prices in recent years, have also contributed to improving the recovery of refrigerants and thus reducing emissions. Emissions are dominated by those of R-134a (37%) and R-410A (17%). R-404A emissions now represent only 9% of the total, due to the gradual conversion of installations and the reduction in leak rates.

In 2021, refrigerant emissions in France métropole are estimated at 8.8 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, including 8.5 million HFCs. Refrigerant emissions, as CO₂ equivalent, have declined sharply since 2018, by more than 10% per year. The drop is 12% between 2020 and 2021 and could be around 16% between 2021 and 2022 according to initial estimates. Several points explain this decline, in particular:

• The renewal of the vehicle fleet, whose equivalent CO₂ emissions have fallen by more than 10% per year over the last 4 years;
• The 2020 deadline prohibiting the use of HFCs with a GWP greater than 2500 for the maintenance of refrigeration installations which led to the acceleration of the replacement or retrofit of refrigeration installations using R-404A (GWP 3921) benefitting installations using HFCs with a GWP less than 1500;
• The gradual introduction of R-32 (GWP  675) instead of R-410A (GWP = 2087), with very rapid penetration, well before the 2025 deadline for certain applications;
• Improved recovery due to the increase in prices and the shortage of certain HFCs due to the implementation of “phasedown” by EU Regulation 517/2014.

The emissions report is available at New AFCE study: Inventory of refrigerant emissions – AFCE – Alliance Froid Climatisation Environnement and an article about it is in LaRPF  Fluids: AFCE returns its inventory (larpf.fr).