Food retailers commit to CO₂ in China

UK retailer Tesco has opened a new CO₂ supermarket in the city of Ningbo. The supermarket located in Zhenhai District of Ningbo, occupying an area of 15,895 square meters, is the largest supermarket around the region. 

 

 

In the CO₂ supermarket, a series of energy saving technologies are used. The store adopts advanced Environmental Management System (EMS) and many energy reduction measures such as LED lights, and a heat reclaim system. The store captures waste heat to produce hot water to reduce fossil fuel use. Its CO₂ cascade system is manufactured and equipped by Carrier. With the CO₂ cascade system and other measures, the store can save up to 25% of its energy use, with an annual reduction of 9.7 million kilowatt hours in power and saving 1560,9 tons in carbon emissions.

 

So far, Tesco has equipped four stores with R744 refrigeration in China. The other three stores are in Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen. In a workshop organised by the Chinese Association of Refrigeration and shecco this April, Mr. Wei Qian from Tesco China said: “in the near future, let’s say 3-5 years, all new Tesco stores will adopt natural refrigerants.”

 

 

In China, CO₂ has been viewed by the industry as a viable alternative to hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) for supermarkets. People have seen the benefits CO₂ refrigeration systems could bring to supermarkets including energy savings, low HFC refrigerant charge, and lower HFC refrigerant costs. More and more international food retailers and consumer brands are introducing CO₂ refrigeration to their business in China. In 2012, Nestlé installed an R744 refrigeration system at its low temperature frozen storage room in the city of Harbin. Tesco built a large distribution centre with a CO₂ refrigeration system in Jiashan of Zhejiang Province. Carrefour is also introducing CO₂ refrigeration to its stores in China. 

 

Local market players are also attracted by the benefits of R744 in the food industry. Recently, one of China’s largest seafood processing companies Dalian Zhangzidao Fishery Group established China’s largest CO₂ cascade cold storage for its seafood processing in Dalian. The company is also planning on using a natural refrigerant systems for its next 30,000 tons low-temperature cold storage facility in China.