The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is launching a project in six African countries to replace ageing refrigeration systems with more energy-efficient versions and cut down on the consumption of ozone-depleting chemical compounds.
The €5.3 million project aims to replace the existing chillers – the refrigeration systems that produce chilled water for cooling air in commercial, residential and industrial processes – which use chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) with newer, cleaner models.
More than 460,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions could be saved every year as a result of the programme, according to a UNIDO press release issued today, and there will also be a direct phase-out of about 80 tons of CFCs needed for servicing the chillers annually.
Hundreds of chillers in Cameroon, Egypt, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan will be overhauled under the project, which is being co-financed by the French Global Environment Facility.
Kandeh K. Yumkella, UNIDO’s Director-General, said the scheme “will help remove relevant barriers and includes the transfer of green technology, the creation of a working fund mechanism, the management of CFC stockpiles, and the dissemination of awareness to chiller operators and end-users, as well as to the governments of the countries involved.”