In September 2019, Vietnam ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, committing to phasing down HFCs by 80% by 2045, starting in 2024. To support Vietnam in this transition of promoting the use of natural refrigerants and energy efficiency, the Green Cooling Initiative (GCI) III project has implemented different interventions centered around three main areas: policy advise, technology transfer and capacity building. GCI III is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the synthetic gases commonly used in cooling and refrigeration, are a rapidly growing source of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming. To address this, natural refrigerants like carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and ammonia offer sustainable alternatives with zero or minimal global warming potential.
As part of its capacity-building activities, the project recently organized a series of hands-on training courses on Green Cooling Approach and Safe Use of Natural Refrigerants. With the focus on developing practical skills for the safe handling of natural refrigerants, particularly R290 in refrigeration appliances, the programmes were to provide skill-based practices to trainees, improving both their technical and tactical skills. Besides knowledge sharing session about international and national management policies on phasing out ozone-depleting substances, technical practices on four main skills such as: (i) Tool Proficiency, (ii) Pipeline Operator, (iii) Substance Recovery and (iv) Weldless pipe connection technique were well developed to properly perform diverse specific tasks and tools.
