General Fushi has big plans for CO₂ commercial refrigeration in China 

Shanghai General Fushi Refrigeration Equipment was established in 1997 and focuses on the manufacture of commercial refrigeration equipment such as cabinets, compressor racks, condensers and unit coolers for hypermarkets, mid-size stores and convenience stores. At China Refrigeration 2015, they were one of only a few Chinese manufacturers to showcase CO₂ solutions for commercial refrigeration. 

 

Installed by German retailer Metro at a store in the Shandong province, the hybrid CO₂/R134a system, which features CO₂ cabinets and R134a chillers, has achieved a very stable performance so far. Compared to an R404a system, the R134a/CO₂ technology can reduce CO₂ emission by 65% and result in energy savings of 30%. According to Joeroen de Groot, the head of Metro China, promoting sustainable development is one of the key objectives of the Metro Group, with CO₂ refrigeration expected to play an important role in the company’s development.

 

 

Zhang Tingxun: One of the reasons was that we saw that in Europe CO₂ technology for food retail applications is already very popular and so we are trying our best to prepare for a similar boom in CO₂ applications in China. We started by working with local company Fute and key component suppliers such as Dorin and Carel to design and build our CO₂ products and systems. We will set up a transcritical CO₂ system test facility in our laboratory as well as provide training to build up customer confidence in this technology. We will also work with Fute to extensively promote subcritical systems. Meanwhile, we are preparing the meet high customer demand expected for CO₂ transcritical systems.   

Zhang: General Fushi’s philosophy is to provide energy efficient and green solutions by focusing on product and technology development. From now on we will focus on CO₂ solutions and increase lab-testing capacity to quality check CO₂ cabinets. Together with local contractor Fute we would like to find locations in China to build CO₂ transcritical stores. 

Zhang: Today R404a is still the most popular refrigerant for food retailers in China and it will dominate in the next few years as well. Without introducing taxes on high-GWP refrigerants to provide incentives for natural refrigerant use, the use of CO₂ in stores in China will be restricted. However, with the Chinese government’s increasing emphasis on environmental protection and energy saving, I think CO₂ as a refrigerant has a big market potential in commercial refrigeration in China. 

 

Zhang: CO₂ technology is definitely the future in China. In order to promote this technology quickly, we need government support for end users. Currently Tesco and Metro are the only end users using this technology in China. We would like to see more international and Chinese brands start to supply CO₂ technology. As demand from end users increases, this will help to reduce initial investment costs, as well as operating costs as people become more familiar with the technology. 

 

Zhang: The first CO₂ store opened in China in 2011. Today, there are almost 10 CO₂ stores that are operating or under construction. In the next two years, an additional 10 to 15 CO₂ stores will be ready. More and more international and Chinese end users will start to try CO₂. By 2020, it would not be difficult to have 60 to 80 CO₂ stores in China. Meanwhile, at least two to three transcritical projects will in ready within the next five years. I am very confident that CO₂ technology will boom in China. I think that government support, increased customer confidence, together with high efficieny and cost reduction will accelerate the uptake of CO₂ technology in food retail applications. 

 

 

The first CO₂ hybrid store in China was opened by global brand Tesco in 2011, in Shanghai. Today Tesco has five CO₂ stores in China. 

 

The Metro Group opened its first CO₂ hybrid store in Shandong province in 2014. In 2015, Metro will open one new CO₂ store and remodel another five to use CO₂ hybrid technology. From 2016 onwards, the CO₂ hybrid system is planned to become Metro China’s standard technology, with five new stores planned and six remodels. Moreover, in 2016/2017, Metro is planning to complete its first Chinese CO₂ transcritical store.

 

Whilst still a niche market, there is a general trend towards CO₂ in commercial refrigeration in China, with an increasing supply of CO₂ solutions from global and local manufacturers. This shift has been supported by the Chinese government, who in 2015 have made it clear that they promote CO₂ commercial refrigeration technology for supermarkets.