Halon EU Policy to Avoid Ozone Depletion Halon

Halon

EU Policy to Avoid Ozone Depletion Halon and CFC controls in Regulation (EC) No 2037/2000 Tom Batchelor European Commission, DG ENV Information Sessions 2005

Halon Management Report Submitted to UNEP in 2001 on: - Critical Uses - Statistics - Decommissioning - Destruction - Avoiding the ‘big hiss’ - Export prospects - Conclusions

Halon Management. . . Management Plan submitted to Parties by all Developed countries (Decision X/7) u Regulation (EC) 2037/2000: 1 Oct 2000 …. No virgin halon servicing 31 Dec 2002 …. No recycled halon servicing 31 Dec 2003 …. All Non-critical systems decommissioned u

Aims of report. . . u Raise awareness u Encourage installation of alternatives u Recycle halon u Destroy halon u Conditions for export of halon • • Don’t release into the atmosphere ! Halon is 7 -10 times more ozone depleting than CFCs

u Article 2 of the Regulation … u Use in the regulation means the utilisation of controlled substances in production or maintenance, in particular refilling ….

Critical halon uses. . . u Annex VII of Regulation (EC) No 2037/2000 u Fire and explosion suppression in: – Aircraft, military, gas and petrochemical sectors – Cargo ships special and rare use of halon – The Channel tunnel u Commission obliged to review the list annually pursuant to Article 4(4)(iv) u Remove uses … don’t add more

Halon critical use on ships: flour unloading Pump Flour Halon to make pump inert

Halon critical use on ships: tanker Halon to make manned space inert oil

List of critical uses u See Word document

Statistics …. Installed in EU-15. . ……. 14, 500 tonnes Critical uses in EU-15 … 5, 300 tonnes TOTAL 19, 800 tonnes u Estimates by Fire Authorities in EU-15 u Reporting halon critical uses annually (see Template)

Alternatives to halons. . . u Inert gases u Fluorocarbons (HFC) u Water, water mist u Powders, fine aerosols u Carbon dioxide u Foams u HCFCs … supplier pays destruction costs u 3 M Novec 1230 (6 -C ketone)

HCFCs for fire fighting u HCFCs can be used to replace halons listed in Annex VII of Regulation (EC) No 2037/2000 u 70% of the costs of halon removal and destruction must be paid by the HCFC installer u Limited time period – 2010? u Report amounts annually to the Commission u So far only known in Italy, Spain, Czech Republic and Hungary u Not recommended as HCFCs are a short term replacement and they deplete ozone

Safe decommissioning. . . u MS mandatory responsibility – Qualified personnel – Safe decommissioning procedures – Assistance of fire protection industry u Reduce u Avoid or eliminate testing of system careless handling leading to accidental discharge

Halon banks for critical uses … u Procure and store … halon banks – Netherlands, UK, Austria, Denmark – Military banks + others – Clearinghouse system for procurement and re -allocation – Halon banks must be designated by the government u UNEP Paris halon trader www. halontrader. org

Destruction of halon … u 75% of halon installed in the EC will need to be exported (+ value) or destroyed (value) u No destruction facilities in CY, EL, ES, LU, IT, IR, PT and others u Waste …prior informed consent between MSs makes destruction complex

Measures to avoid venting halon. . . u Fines under Article 21 u Economic incentives e. g. 20% of funds reimbursed for early alternative installation (Austria) u Alternatives include recovery cost (Denmark) u Voluntary approaches (company leadership) u Awareness raising … high ODPs etc u Case studies in report

Export criteria. . . u Article 11(1)(d) permits the «. . . export of products and equipment containing halon to satisfy Critical Uses listed in Annex VII of the Regulation » ; u DOT approved cylinders u Export Authorisation Number (EAN) required, together with specific information u Halon products (e. g. fire extinguishers) need EAN u Special reporting requirements for exports u 2004 review concluded that an earlier ban

Conclusions on halon. . . u “Destroyed halon is the best halon” u Risk of halon discharge to EC atmosphere is high due to: – High volume / short decommissioning time – Critical use banks are full – Export impediments – Negative value – Lack of MS measures and coordination – Complex waste destruction pathway u Act now !