Last week Spain’s Council of Ministers, at the behest of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, approved a Royal Decree establishing a €1.5m subsidy for installing refrigeration systems with zero or low-GWP refrigerants. The funding is part of the ‘PIMA Frio’ plan.

With the subsidy the government intends to promote the use of efficient and sustainable HVAC&R systems in the commercial sector in the context of future restrictions on f-gases under the EU F-Gas Regulation.

“We understand that the sector is facing a challenge, and with this new subsidy we would like to provide additional support to facilitate the transition to sustainable refrigeration systems,” said Guillermo Martínez from the Spanish Ministry of Environment at ATMOsphere Ibérica last year.

“We understand that the sector is facing a challenge, and with this new subsidy we would like to provide additional support to facilitate the transition to sustainable refrigeration systems.

Guillermo Martínez, Spanish Ministry of Environment

Looming ban under EU F-Gas Regulation

As of 1 January 2022, the EU F-Gas Regulation will prohibit the use of HFCs with a GWP greater than 150 in commercial applications.

Only 2% of the total commercial refrigeration facilities in Spain are estimated to have refrigeration plants that comply with this prohibition.

Martínez will give a presentation on the latest developments of the PIMA FRIO Plan at this year’s ATMOsphere Ibérica, which will take place on 18 September in Madrid.

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Author Pilar Aleu