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Seychelles’ environmental ministry is undertaking a country-wide survey to quantify the yearly import of refrigerating gases to prepare for the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in January 2025 as stipulated under the Kigali Schedule of the Montreal Protocol. HFCs are widely used in refrigeration and air-conditioning. Despite the fact that HFCs are not ozone-depleting, they do contribute to global warming.
Seychelles’ environmental ministry is undertaking a country-wide survey to quantify the yearly import of refrigerating gases to prepare for the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in January 2025 as stipulated under the Kigali Schedule of the Montreal Protocol. HFCs are widely used in refrigeration and air-conditioning. Despite the fact that HFCs are not ozone-depleting, they do contribute to global warming.
The survey, which started on February 15, enable the ministry to identify key stakeholders using the HFCs to be phased down, making priorities when a quota system for the allocation of HFCs kicks off in 2025. The ministry anticipates 120 days for the survey to be completed.
The senior ozone officer at the MoE, Inese Chang-Waye, told reporters on Monday that Seychelles has a grace period between 2023 to 2024 to identify all its major stakeholders and know how much gas they use on a yearly basis. MoE is keen to know about the equipment and gas that are coming into the country on a yearly basis. Seychelles has two major stakeholders in this sector representing their pivotal economic pillars – tourism and fisheries. It is pertinent to know the annual HFC consumption of these sectors outlined by Chang-Waye.
A gas that is commonly used in refrigerators in Seychelles is R134A. When one calculates its GWP (Global Warming Potential) which is equivalent to CO2, it is really high. When compared to carbon dioxide, R134A has a GWP of 1430. Another one used in air-con units is R410A, and it has a GWP of 2088. Major buildings such as the government and private commercial entities are targeted in this survey. Households will not be taken into account since HFCs for retail are controlled at the importer level.
Once the information is made available, the ministry would be able to set the priorities. When the phase-down starts, the two priority sectors will be placed on the top list. Once we are able to identify the amount of gas used by these sectors each year, the maximum percentage will be allotted to that stakeholder, said Chang-Waye. She further explained that those unable to make the change based on the status of their equipment or building structure will have an allocation priority. Contractors will be advised when planning new buildings which kind of gases they can bring in for the air-conditioning units to exclude them from the allocation. Another factor that will need to be determined from the survey will be the rate of leakage.
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After the survey, MoE will conduct stakeholders’ workshops, following which the new legislation needs to be put in place with the necessary amendments. In 2021, MoE made five amendments. Under the Kigali Amendment adopted in October 2016, countries are committed to cutting down on the production and consumption of HFCs over the next 30 years of the adoption.
According to the United Nations Treaty Collection, Seychelles accepted the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer on August 20, 2019. From 2025 to 2029, Seychelles will need to phase down about 10 per cent of the total consumption of HFCs and by 2045 the percentage needs to be as high as 80 per cent.
