As Jordan has started the freeze of its hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) consumption, the government actively supports initiatives focused on enhancing the energy efficiency of cooling equipment and ensures the design of effective national strategies towards sustainable cooling. The markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and Jordan in particular, are linked to the European Union (EU) and thus typically implement similar environmental and safety regulations for effective trade. Following the recent revisions of the EU F-gas Regulation and EU standards, Jordan is aligning its market landscape and regulations.

The webinar highlighted how the Kigali Amendment implementation affects local industry players under the HFC consumption freeze, including relevant political interventions of the HFC phase-down and further F-gas regulations. The event was moderated by Maria Pushkareva from Öko-Recherche, who also presented key facts about the Kigali Amendment. An introduction about the Cool Up programme was conducted by Eng. Ayham Al Rabee from the Royal Scientific Society to highlight more details to the public. Following that, Barbara Gschrey from Öko-Recherche provided insights and implications for the cooling market related to the new EU F-gas Regulation as a best practice example and informed about EU provisions related to import and export. Jordan’s regulations and their correlation in the regulatory landscape with regards to Kigali Amendment implementation were presented by Eng. Maen Obeid from the Chamber of Industry, who highlighted challenges and opportunities for Jordanian industries under upcoming changes. A technical part presented by Sinisa Prodanovich from Öko-Recherche introduced the latest developments in cooling technology and market trends.

The webinar was attended by over 50 participants with diverse backgrounds from both industry and regulatory sides, including representatives from CUNY Building Performance Lab, VTC, PETRA Engineering Industries Co, JOPACK, Global Green Growth Institute, Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization, Energy International Jordan, Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, Kawar Energy, Ministry of Energy, Jordan Green Building Council, and Ministry of Environment. This led to a productive conversation.