ARLINGTON, Va. — The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and UN Environment completed the first round of training sessions for the Refrigerant Driving License (RDL), a global refrigerant management initiative, June 24-27 in Kigali, Rwanda. This pilot stage initiates a global program to help Article 5 (developing) countries transition to alternative refrigerants under the Montreal Protocol Kigali Amendment's hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phasedown schedule. 

“AHRI is honored to partner with UN Environment in this important global effort to prepare for the coming refrigerant transition,” said Stephen Yurek, CEO and president, AHRI. “It is especially fitting that the first pilot program is held in Kigali, whose name is associated with the most recent amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which AHRI fully supports.”

The RDL sets minimum requirements for the proper and safe handling of refrigerants in air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration equipment. The train-the-trainer session held in Kigali is the first part of a comprehensive program in which a refrigerant management expert (master trainer) trains a small number of local trainers on how to administer the RDL program in their country. The local trainers will then train an initial pool of approximately 100 local technicians in the proper and safe handling of refrigerants.

In the coming months, five other countries will participate in the pilot program: Grenada, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago. AHRI and UN Environment will evaluate the pilot stage and modify the final RDL training program based on feedback from the pilot program. For more information, visit www.ahrinet.org.