Process agents

The Seventeenth Meeting of the Executive Committee decided that projects involving process agents should be deferred until the Parties had taken a decision on the issue.

(UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/17/60, Decision 17/13 para. 22).

Subsequently, the Seventh Meeting of the Parties, recognizing the need to restrict emissions of ozone-depleting substances from process-agent applications, decided to continue to treat process agents in a manner similar to feedstock only for 1996 and 1997; and to decide in 1997, following recommendations by the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel and its relevant subgroups, on modalities and criteria for a continued use of controlled substances as process agents, and on restricting their emissions, for 1998 and beyond.

(UNEP/OzL.Pro.7/12 Decision VII/10).

The Tenth Meeting of the Parties recognizing the usefulness of having the controlled substances produced and used as process agents clearly delineated within the Montreal Protocol, decided:

1.   that, for the purposes of this decision, the term "process agents" should be understood to mean the use of controlled substances for the applications listed in Table A (as revised by the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Meetings of the Parties) (Annex IX.16);

2.   for non-Article 5 Parties, to treat process agents in a manner similar to feedstock for 1998 and until 31 December 2002;

3.   that quantities of controlled substances produced or imported for the purpose of being used as process agents in plants and installations in operation before 1 January 1999, should not be taken into account in the calculation of production and consumption from 1 January 2002 onwards, provided that:

      (a)  in the case of non-Article 5 Parties, the emissions of controlled substances from these processes have been reduced to insignificant levels as defined for the purposes of this decision in Table B (Annex IX.16);

      (b)  in the case of Article 5 Parties, the emissions of controlled substances from process‑agent use have been reduced to levels agreed by the Executive Committee to be reasonably achievable in a cost–effective manner without undue abandonment of infrastructure. In so deciding, the Executive Committee may consider a range of options as set out in paragraph 5 below;

4.   that all Parties should:

      (a)  report to the Secretariat by 30 September 2000 and each year thereafter on their use of controlled substances as process agents, the levels of emissions from those uses and the containment technologies used by them to minimize emissions of controlled substances. Those non-Article 5 Parties which have still not reported data for inclusion in tables A and B are urged to do so as soon as possible and in any case before the nineteenth meeting of the Open Ended Working Group;

      (b)  in reporting annual data to the Secretariat for 2000 and each year thereafter, provide information on the quantities of controlled substances produced or imported by them for process‑agent applications;

5.   that the incremental costs of a range of cost-effective measures, including, for example, process conversions, plant closures, emissions control technologies and industrial rationalization, to reduce emissions of controlled substances from process‑agent uses in Article 5 Parties to the levels referred to in paragraph 3 (b) above should be eligible for funding in accordance with the rules and guidelines of the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund;

6.   that the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund should, as a matter of priority, strive to develop funding guidelines and begin to consider initial project proposals during 1999;

7.   that Parties should not install or commission new plant using controlled substances as process agents after 30 June 1999, unless the Meeting of the Parties has decided that the use in question meets the criteria for essential uses under decision IV/25;

8.   to request the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel and the Executive Committee to report to the Meeting of the Parties in 2001 on the progress made in reducing emissions of controlled substances from process‑agent uses and on the implementation and development of emissions‑reduction techniques and alternative processes not using ozone‑depleting substances and to review tables A and B of the present draft decision and make recommendations for any necessary changes.

(UNEP/OzL.Pro.10/9, Decision X/14).

(UNEP/OzL.Pro.15/9, Decision XV/6).

(UNEP/OzL.Pro.17/11, Decision XVII/7).

The Twenty-first Meeting of the Parties decided:

1.   To request all Parties with process agent uses of controlled substances to submit the information required by Decision X/14 by 30 September each year to the Ozone Secretariat;

2.   To clarify that the annual reporting obligation shall not apply once a Party informs the Ozone Secretariat they do not use ozone-depleting substances as process agents as under Decision X/14, until they start doing so, and that this one-time procedure pertains to all Parties whether or not they are listed in Table B of Decision X/14;

3.   To request the Ozone Secretariat every year to write to those Parties that did not submit a document as under paragraph 2, report, requesting them to submit information consistent with Decision X/14;

4.   To request the Ozone Secretariat to bring cases of non-reporting to the attention of the Implementation Committee for consideration;

5.   To request the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel and the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund to prepare a joint report for future meetings, reporting on progress with phasing out process-agent applications, as sought by Decision XVII/6 (paragraph 6);

6.   To revisit this issue at the 30th Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group;

7.   To update Table A of Decision X/14 as per the Annex to this decision;

8.   To update Table B of Decision X/14 as per the Annex to this decision;

Annex

Table A: List of uses of controlled substances as process agents

Table B: Limits for process agent uses (all figures are in metric tonnes per year)

(UNEP/OzL.Pro.21.8, decision XXI/3)

The Thirteenth Meeting of the Parties decided to request the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel to finalize its evaluation, as requested by decision X/14, and report to the Parties at the 22nd Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group, in 2002.

(UNEP/OzL.Pro/13/10, Decision XIII/13).

The Fifteenth Meeting of the Parties decided:

1.   to note that decision X/14 called on the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel and the Executive Committee to review the list of process agent uses in table A of that decision, and to make appropriate recommendations for changes to the table;

2.   to note that several Parties are submitting requests to have certain uses reviewed by the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel for inclusion in table A of decision X/14 as process-agent uses;

3.   to request the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel to review requests for consideration of specific uses against decision X/14 criteria for process agents, and make recommendations to the Parties annually on uses that could be added to or removed from table A of decision X/14;

4.   to remind Article 5 Parties and non-Article 5 Parties with process agent applications listed in table A to decision X/14, as revised, that they shall report in accordance with paragraph 4 of decision X/14 on the use of controlled substances as process agents, the levels of emissions from those uses, and the containment technologies used by them to minimize emissions. In addition, Article 5 Parties with listed uses in table A, as revised, shall report to the Executive Committee on progress in reducing emissions of controlled substances from process-agent uses and on the implementation and development of emissions-reduction techniques and alternative processes not using ozone depleting substances;

5.   to request the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel and the Executive Committee to report to the Open-ended Working Group at its twenty fifth session, and every other year thereafter unless the Parties decide otherwise, on the progress made in reducing emissions of controlled substances from process-agent uses and on the implementation and development of emissions-reduction techniques and alternative processes not using ozone depleting substances;

6.   to note that, because the 2002 report of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel lists the process-agent applications in the table below as having non-negligible emissions, those applications are to be considered process-agent uses of controlled substances in accordance with the provisions of decision X/14 for 2004 and 2005, and are to be reconsidered at the Seventeenth Meeting of the Parties based on information reported in accordance with paragraph 4 of the present decision and paragraph 4 of decision X/14;

7.   to note that, because the two uses of controlled substances at the end of the table below were submitted to the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel but not formally reviewed, those applications are to be considered process agent uses of controlled substances in accordance with the provisions of decision X/14 for 2004 and 2005, and are to be reconsidered at the Seventeenth Meeting of the Parties based on information reported in accordance with paragraph 4 of the present decision and paragraph 4 of decision X/14.

(UNEP/OzL.Pro.15/9, Decision XV/7).

The Seventeenth Meeting of the Parties decided:

1.   to remind Parties operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5 and Parties not so operating with process agent applications listed in table A to decision X/14, as revised, that they shall report annually in accordance with paragraph 4 of decisions X/14 and XV/7, respectively, on the use of controlled substances as process agents;

2.   in addition to paragraph 1 above, to request Parties that have emissive use of process agent uses listed in decisions XVII/7 and XVII/8 to submit data before 31 December 2006 to the Secretariat and the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel on plant start-up date, annual capacity subject to applicable laws providing for commercial or other confidentiality protection, and make-up or consumption of controlled ozone-depleting substances, total emissions of ozone depleting substances per year, and confirm that the plant using the controlled substances has been in continuous operations since 30 June 1999;

3.   to note that the process-agent applications listed in decision XVII/8 are to be considered as process-agent uses in accordance with the provisions of decision X/14 and are to be confirmed as process agents at the Nineteenth Meeting of the Parties in 2007 based on the information reported in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 of the present decision;

4.   where Parties install or commission new plant after 30 June 1999, using controlled substances as process agents, to request Parties to submit their applications to the Ozone Secretariat and the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel by 31 December 2006, and by 31 December every subsequent year or otherwise in a timely manner that allows the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel to conduct an appropriate analysis, for consideration subject to the criteria for essential uses under decision IV/25, in accordance with paragraph 7 of decision X/14;

5.   to agree that the exemptions referred to in decision X/14 are process-agent uses until a subsequent decision of the Parties declares otherwise, and that the exemptions should not be permanent and should be subject to regular review by the Parties with the aim of retaining or removing process agent uses;

6.   to request the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel and the Executive Committee to report to the Open-ended Working Group at its twenty-seventh meeting in 2007, and every other year thereafter unless the Parties decide otherwise, on the progress made in reducing emissions of controlled substances from process-agent uses; the associated make-up quantity of controlled substances; on the implementation and development of emissions-reduction techniques and alternative processes and products not using ozone-depleting substances;

7.   to request the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel to review the information submitted in accordance with the present decision and to report and make recommendations to the Parties at their Twentieth Meeting in 2008, and every other year thereafter, on process-agent use exemptions; on insignificant emission associated with a use, and process-agent uses that could be added to or deleted from table A of decision X/14;

8.   to request Parties with process-agent uses to submit data to the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel by 31 December 2007 and 31 December of each subsequent year on opportunities to reduce emissions listed in table B and for the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel to review in 2008, and every other year thereafter, emissions in table B of decision X/14, taking into account information and data reported by the Parties in accordance with that decision, and to recommend any reductions to the make-up and maximum emission on the basis of that review. On the basis of these recommendations, the Parties shall decide on reductions to the make-up and maximum emissions with respect to table B.

(UNEP/OzL.Pro.17/11, Decision XVII/6).

The Seventeenth Meeting of the Parties decided to adopt the following uses of controlled substances as an interim table A bis for decision X/14, subject to reconfirmation and inclusion in a reassessed table A for decision X/14 at the Nineteenth Meeting of the Parties in 2007 (Annex IX.16).

(UNEP/OzL.Pro.17/11, Decision XVII/8).

The Fifty-first Meeting of the Executive Committee decided:

(a)  to finalize the draft report, noting that the Secretariat would include in it additional information regarding differences between country programme data and Article 7 data and, should time allow, would also provide relevant information from the Chemical Technical Options Committee; and

(b)  to request the Fund Secretariat, after seeking the approval of the Chair of the Executive Committee, to submit the report to the 27th Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group.

(UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/51/46, Decision 51/35 para. 175).

(Supporting document: UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/51/41).

The Nineteenth Meeting of the Parties decided to adopt the table in the annex to the present decision as a list of process agent applications to replace table A of decision X/14 as it was amended in decision XVII/7 and to replace table A bis in decision XVII/8.

(UNEP/OzL.Pro.19/7, Decision XIX/15).

The Executive Committee at its Fifty-seventh Meeting after considering the report decided to request the Secretariat to complete the report on the progress made in reducing emissions of controlled substances from process agent uses, taking into account comments provided by Executive Committee Members and, following approval of the final text by the Chair of the Executive Committee, to submit it to the 29^th Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group.

(UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/57/69, Decision 57/41, para. 205)

(Supporting document: UNEP/OzL.Pro/ExCom/57/Inf.2)