You must get quota to produce or import bulk hydrofluorocarbons HFCs - the most common type of fluorinated gas F gas - into Great Britain England, Scotland and Wales. Your quota is the quantity of HFCs you are allocated to place on the market in Great Britain, calculated in equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide CO2. Great Britain is phasing down HFCs, including mixtures, by 79 by 2030 from the average use between 2009 to 2012. You may need to look for alternatives. If your organisation shares a beneficial owner with an organisation registered on the F gas service, only one organisation can apply for quota as a new entrant. If youre an equipment importer or authorisation manager, you cannot apply for a quota. Youll need to get quota authorisations from a quota holder instead. How to apply for F gas quota
To get quota you must first register for an F gas account. You must apply for quota to produce F gas or import it to Great Britain each year if you want to
Incumbent quota holders
Youre an incumbent quota holder if you
If youre an incumbent quota holder the Environment Agency will
If you are not an incumbent quota holder you placed HFCs on the market for the first time in 2023 or later you are classified as a new entrant. New entrants can apply to the Environment Agency each year for quota. When to apply for F gas quota
You can only apply during the application window, which runs each year from 30 June to 31 August. New entrants will be given quota allocation by the end of December.
You must get quota before you place goods on the market. Once you have quota
You can
Importing bulk HFCs to pre-charge equipment for export
If you want to import HFCs to Great Britain to pre-charge equipment for export, youll need EU quota authorisations to export the pre-charged equipment to the EU and Northern Ireland. If you get bulk gas from an EU-based producer or importer, they can authorise you to use their EU quota to export equipment back to the EU and Northern Ireland. The EU-based producer must have GB quota to import the HFCs into Great Britain. If you do not get enough quota
Your consignment will be held at customs until the National Clearance Hub and the Environment Agency have checked to ensure that goods are legal. Its against the law to place HFCs on the market in Great Britain if you do not have enough quota. You could receive
For example, if you imported gas equivalent to 100 tonnes of CO2 more than your quota, the Environment Agency will take off 200 tonnes from your quota for the following year. They may take it from your future quota until your penalty is spent. When you do not need quota
You do not need quota for HFCs
Recycled or reclaimed HFCs
You do not need quota if you are recovering HFCs from equipment that has previously been placed on the market in Great Britain.
You do need quota if you are importing HFCs that have been recovered from equipment outside Great Britain. Apply for a F gas quota if youre not based in Great Britain
If your organisation is based outside Great Britain and Northern Ireland and you want quota, you must have a representative that is
Youll need to provide their details and your own when you register on the F gas service. Apply for EU F gas quota
If you want to place HFCs on the EU market, check the European Commission website.