UK manufacturing faces significant pressure to comply with F-Gas legislation, a challenge exacerbated by widespread ageing cooling infrastructure, volatile market conditions, and the growing threat of extreme weather. This is according to Aggreko’s latest whitepaper, Temperature Check: What Does UK Industry Need to Compete?, which surveyed 334 manufacturing plant managers responsible for cooling processes at companies with a turnover of at least £50 million. The report reveals how legislative demands, coupled with critical operational vulnerabilities, are stalling necessary upgrades and impacting the sector’s resilience.
The F-gas phasedown is entering a critical stage, with proposals for a high ambition reduction pathway that accelerates cuts well beyond the current 2030 target. Under consultation, the UK aims for a 98.6% reduction in HFC use by 2048 compared to 2015 levels, supporting its Net Zero commitment.
While no new product bans or changes to leak-checking and recovery requirements are currently included, the accelerated timeline will significantly influence refrigerant availability, especially those of products with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) above 1000, making the transition to low-GWP alternatives essential for future installations.
“Manufacturers are facing an extremely challenging set of circumstances,” says Chris Smith, head of temperature control at Aggreko UK and Ireland. “On one hand, they’re working with ageing cooling equipment that is increasingly prone to failure, but on the other they’re being asked to meet increasingly rigorous environmental legislation. It is crucial that this equipment is upgraded to meet these legislative requirements, and site managers need further support and information to implement these changes effectively.
“We are acutely aware of these challenges and commissioned Temperate Check to further analyse an often-overlooked area of the production process. In this, the impact of F-gas legislation stood out as a major talking point. The F-gas timeline is entering a decisive phase in which sharper and faster reductions could be required, and site decisionmakers require greater clarity over equipment compliance if they are to transition in good order.”
The report goes on to explore factors contributing towards this impact, with knowledge and understanding of the regulations, availability of alternative solutions and the cost of the new solutions cited as major barriers to meeting the F-gas timeline. These findings are part of wider mounting concerns about ensuring sustainable production, with 97% of those surveyed saying they are facing challenges in upgrading cooling equipment to meet stricter environmental regulations.
Taking this into account, Aggreko is highlighting the importance of exploring alternative equipment procurement strategies to adhere to environmental legislation while improving operational efficiency and reducing unplanned downtime. For instance, the adoption of temporary cooling systems can allow manufacturers to trial different configurations of equipment without capital expenditure restrictions while also providing flexibility to respond to seasonal peaks in production demand.
“The results of this survey demonstrate that UK manufacturing is clearly under pressure and cooling is a critical part of this,” Chris concludes. “Ageing equipment, higher operating temperatures and regulatory flux are converging to create a difficult situation that plant managers may not have the budget to adequately respond to.
“This is why we’re encouraging manufacturers to engage with the supply chain as early as possible and implement strategies that could help alleviate these pressures. With the right support, businesses can access efficient, scalable cooling systems that meet today’s demands without hitting the balance sheet.”
Click the link to download Temperature Check: What Does UK Industry Need to Compete?
Read other recent news: https://industrial-compliance.co.uk/category/news/
