10.06.2013 - 13.06.2013 - Working meeting with the Turkmenian Ozone Unit
On June 10–13, Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, became the venue of a working meeting of the Turkmenian Ozone Unit and the Project Management Unit of the UNIDO project for HCFC phase out in the Russian Federation. The meeting was dedicated to consideration of environmentally safe alternatives to ozone-depleting substances and a set of proliferation measures to be implemented on the territories of Russia and Turkmenistan.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Turkmenian Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Education, state corporate group Turkmengaz, state alliance Turkmentorgservis acting under the Ministry of Trade of Turkmenistan, PO RemBytTeknika, educational institutions, service organizations and private entrepreneurs engaged in installation and maintenance of air-conditioning and refrigerating systems.
Russian delegation shared their experience in implementation of the HCFC phase out project and covered practical aspects of transition from ozone-depleting substances to natural refrigerants, organization of professional development centers for HVAC&R technicians and reported on the organization of the All-Russian Competition “Protect the Ozone Layer and Climate of the Earth” held by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education and Science and the UNIDO Centre in the Russian Federation.
Great attention was paid to consideration of the European environmental certification mechanism aimed at reduction of ODS emissions and of opportunities offered by initiation of a similar mechanism in Russia and Turkmenistan. At request of Turkmenian colleagues, the Russian delegation shared their experience in creation and development of associations and self-regulated organizations that support the state in solving environmental and industrial development matters.
The whole day of the working meeting was dedicated to practical training on ways of detecting ozone-depleting substances with the aid of rapid-response analyzers and conversion of refrigerating equipment from ozone depleting R-22 to HC refrigerants. Due to immense reserves of natural gas in Russia and Turkmenistan, such conversion is quite actual.
In conclusion, parties discussed cooperation in the field of protection of the ozone layer and the first measure in this respect will be a working meeting dedicated to ammonia, natural refrigerant. Preliminarily, it is planned for November 2013.
Source: UNIDO Centre in the Russian Federation