World News

USA: Refrigerated intermodal equipment leasing company SeaCube is working with French shipping and logistics company CMA CGN to field test Thermo King's E-COOLPAC battery-powered refrigerated container genset.

USA: The US defence department's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has awarded contracts to three prototype novel air conditioning and heat pump technologies to reduce energy consumption at military bases.

SWEDEN/NETHERLANDS: The Nordic Climate Group has further expanded its operations in the Netherlands with the acquisition of Amsterdam-based IJskoud BV. 

BELGIUM: Despite a significant increase in the number of F-gas certified personnel in Europe trained on alternatives, previous forecasts of the number required by 2030 may have been grossly underestimated.

SERBIA: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a loan of up to €105m for a solar-thermal power plant, featuring a 17MW heat pump, in Novi Sad.

SWEDEN: Swedish brazed plate heat exchanger manufacturer SWEP has announced the opening of a new rig for propane testing at its R&D centre in Landskrona.

USA: Chemours and Koura stand accused of anti-competitive conduct in a dispute over the supply of R454B, the lower GWP refrigerant alternative to R410A.

USA: Trane Technologies has signed a definitive agreement to acquire BrainBox AI, a pioneer in autonomous HVAC controls and generative AI building technology.

USA: More than two-thirds of the 8,500,000 lb (3,855 tonnes) of high GWP refrigerant R114 has been removed from a former US uranium enrichment plant in Kentucky. 

POLAND: Energy producer PGNiG Termika SA and the Warsaw Municipal Water and Sewage Company (MPWiK) have signed agreements to build one of the largest sewage heat pump installations in the EU. 

SWEDEN/TURKEY: Systemair has acquired the remaining shares in Turkish air handling units manufacturer HSK.

JAPAN/VIETNAM: Hoshizaki, the Japanese manufacturer of commercial food and beverage refrigeration equipment, has acquired a majority shareholding in Vietnamese company Asia Refrigeration Industry (ARICO).

UK: Vertiv has invested in centrifugal chiller technology with the acquisition of certain assets of BiXin Energy Technology (Suzhou) Co (BSE).

NETHERLANDS/IRELAND: Mitsubishi Electric Europe is to acquire all the shares of its Irish agent – air conditioning installation and maintenance company Crystal Air Holdings Ltd.

EUROPE: The foodservice industry has obtained a temporary exemption to a January 1 ban on certain self-contained refrigeration equipment under the new European F-gas regulations.

BELGIUM: The European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) has suggested that nearly all European countries could bring in more fiscal measures to support the uptake of heat pumps.

INDIA: Daikin’s Indian subsidiary is to form a joint venture with Taiwanese compressor company Rechi Precision to manufacture and sell rotary inverter compressors for the Indian air conditioning market.

CANADA: Researchers in Canada have found that HFC125, a high GWP gas and a major component of air conditioning refrigerant R410A, has increased exponentially in the past 20 years.

NEW ZEALAND: Authorities in New Zealand have reported the seizure of three tonnes of HFCs in an ongoing crackdown on illegal imports.

JAPAN/USA: Mitsubishi Electric will begin US production of variable-speed heat pump compressors in October 2027, following the $143.5m retrofit of its Kentucky-based auto parts factory.

SPAIN: Daikin is relocating its Tewis commercial refrigeration factory following October’s floods in Valencia that damaged the company’s production facilities. 

FINLAND: The European Chemical Agency’s (ECHA) assessment of PFAS in fluorinated gases, which threaten further restrictions on HFC refrigerants, are now scheduled to be discussed at meetings in March.

EUROPE: Prices of R448A and R449A refrigerants, the lower GWP replacements for R404A, experienced price rises of 10% and 6%, respectively, in the third quarter of 2024.

MALAYSIA: A 5.2MW solar power generation system installed at Panasonic’s air conditioning factory in Malaysia is expected to provide approximately 20% of the facility’s electricity requirement.

USA: Researchers in the USA claim to have developed a magnetocaloric heat pump that matches current vapour compression heat pumps for weight, cost and performance.

USA/IRELAND: Carrier Ventures, the investment arm of the Carrier Global Corporation, is reported to have invested €15m in a company developing a world-first emission and refrigerant-free heat pump.

ITALY/SPAIN: The Giordano Riello International Group (GRIG), owner of Aermec, has acquired the Spanish air conditioning companies Airlan SA and Airlan Industrial SA.