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To help with holding a "green" Winter Olympic Games, the refrigerant used in ice hockey and curling venues provides a 65 percent reduction in global warming potential (GWP) in a cost-effective and energy efficient way, the manufacturer of the refrigerant told the Global Times on Friday.

In order to make the venues of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games more environmentally friendly and sustainable, the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee had talks with experts in the refrigeration industry at home and abroad before they selected two refrigeration systems for the ice, the conventional cooling systems with environmentally friendly refrigerants and the CO2 refrigeration systems.

Arthur Sutherland, an international Olympic Committee (IOC) ice expert, said the two systems are being used on nine ice shields in the seven new or renovated ice venues, ThePaper.cn reported. 

US chemicals company Chemours is providing refrigerant for four ice sheets used at three venues to provide stable low temperature conditions. 

The refrigerant is a hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) blend that has zero ozone depletion potential (ODP), lower GWP and high performance, the Global Times learned from the company.

"Compared with hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants used previously, it enables around 65 percent reduction in GWP and up to 12 percent lower energy consumption," Michael Zhou, Asia Pacific business director of Chemours Thermal & Specialized Solutions (TSS), told the Global Times on Friday.

Function switch is another consideration for the venues as the renovations were not intended to convert them into permanent rinks, but rather to allow them to switch easily and quickly between "ice arenas" and "non-ice arenas" according to the different sports and cultural programs taking place. 

The Beijing National Aquatics Center, Beijing National Indoor Stadium and Wukesong Sports Center, used as the main venues for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, are hosting men's and women's ice hockey and curling games during the 2022 Winter Olympics.

"The refrigerants have demonstrated the capacity to meet high ice quality requirements and were found to be suitable for converting the facilities for different events," Zhou said.

Five other ice shields that use CO2 refrigeration systems also feature zero ODP and low GWP. According to Sutherland the refrigeration systems are 30 percent more energy efficient and save about 2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year compared with the traditional cooling methods, ThePaper.cn reported.

In 2021, China decided to accept the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to reduce coal consumption.

"We see more market demand and a more urgent need for lower-GWP, high-quality alternatives. We are committed to making a contribution to optimizing China's refrigerant industry structure and energy structure," Zhou said.