Refrigerant Identifier Equipment Handover to TTBS

The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has joined forces with the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS) to better monitor the imports of refrigerants to ensure the quality and safety of refrigerants used in the air conditioning and refrigeration sector in Trinidad and Tobago. This alliance will improve national efforts to address the global issue of depletion of the ozone layer, as well as provide for stricter control on the quality of refrigerants being brought into the country. The Ministry has provided 3 Multi-refrigerant Identifiers to the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standard (TTBS) to aid in this monitoring effort. This is one of the initiatives taken on by the Ministry to phase out Ozone Depleting Gases under the Montreal Protocol. 

All refrigerants and refrigerating equipment are under control of the Import and Export Negative Lists and require a license.  All imports of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have been banned since December 31 2007.  Restriction on Imports of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) began in January 2013.

There will also be a ban on imports of equipment using HCFCs such as R 22 effective January 1^st  2015. This will include all HCFC based air-conditioning or refrigeration equipment including any air-cooling, heating or dehumidifying unit or system, refrigeration or freezer unit, equipment or system, display cabinets, bottle coolers, vending machines, dispensing units and soda fountains.

 

From Left to Right; Dr. Marissa Gowrie, Mr. Theodore Reddock, Mr. Steve Williams, Mr. Errol Ramjohn, Mrs. Vidiah Ramkhelawan.