From 1-5 December 2025, a study visit on ‘Energy Efficiency and Climate Mitigation in Cooling-Intensive Sectors’ was convened in Germany, bringing together representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Centre for Energy, key national authorities in the energy and industrial sectors as well as private sector associations from ASEAN member states. It was organised by GIZ under the ASEAN Cooling project, with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
As one of the world’s fastest-growing economic regions, ASEAN is experiencing rapidly rising greenhouse gas emissions, driven in part by growth in electricity demand at around 6% annually and the significant contribution of cooling to peak loads in tropical climates. The study visit highlighted the critical role of energy-efficient and climate-friendly cooling in advancing regional climate mitigation efforts in cooling-intensive sectors. It provided ASEAN stakeholders with exposure to best practices in sustainable cooling, including advanced technologies applied in Germany and Europe, insights into policy and regulatory frameworks, and a platform for knowledge exchange and peer learning among the representatives.
“This study visit could not have come at a better time. Just in November 2025 at the 43rd ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting, we endorsed the new ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026-2030, setting an ambitious target to reduce energy intensity by 40% by 2030 from 2005 levels. This represents a significant step up from our previous 32% target, and we are encouraged by our progress so far, having already achieved a 25.5% reduction by 2023. Meeting this enhanced commitment will require us to address one of our fastest-growing energy challenges: cooling. This makes the focus of our study visit this week not only timely but also strategically essential to our regional priorities,” said Dr Kanchana Wanichkorn, Director of Sectoral Development Directorate of the ASEAN Secretariat.
ASEAN delegates highlighted the values of first-hand exposure to industrial innovation and natural refrigerant applications through guided factory tours and expert sessions with global and regional leaders in cooling system manufacturing, including GEA, Güntner, and Rieker and Refolution. Delegates explored advanced technologies, such as screw compressors, chillers, heat pumps, and a range of natural refrigerants suited to industrial and commercial cooling applications, including ammonia (R717), CO₂ (R744), and hydrocarbons (e.g. R290). Natural refrigerants were presented as future-proof solutions due to their high efficiency, zero global warming potential, and absence of PFAS and TFA, known as forever chemicals. They also noted the strong relevance of these technologies for ASEAN and emphasised the need for regional measures, including setting minimum energy performance standards, robust safety and leakage protocols, and a skilled workforce to ensure their safe and effective adoption.
From a policy and regulatory perspective, participants reflected on the EU’s experience in driving sustainable cooling policies, particularly in phasing down HFCs through the F-Gas Regulation, market restrictions in line with the Kigali Amendment, and the successful voluntary ‘Blue Angel’ eco-label, awarded to products that are more environmentally friendly than their counterparts. The discussions raised concern over trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a persistent by-product of fluorinated refrigerants with potential risks to human health and the environment. Additionally noted was the lack of region-specific data on TFA concentrations in ASEAN, which leaves current conditions largely unknown and calls for greater awareness and regulatory attention.
Discussions also covered emerging policies for more energy-efficient and sustainable data-centre cooling, with participants recognising the need for forward-looking standards to address the sector’s rapidly growing energy and climate impacts in the region. At the Blue Angel-certified GSI/FAIR Green IT Cube, participants observed advanced liquid cooling achieving power usage effectiveness (PUE) of below 1.1, with cooling consuming less than 10% of energy compared to traditional data centres. These experiences sparked strong interest in exploring appropriate policy incentives to support their adaptation in ASEAN.
“The stage of refrigeration technology in Germany truly represents global trends, demonstrating how advancement is driven by strong R&D capabilities in the private sector, working in alignment with supportive public frameworks. Equally important is the development of qualified technicians through continuous training and upskilling, enabling the workforce to keep pace with rapidly evolving innovations. For Thailand, clear policy directions – together with strong public-private collaboration and industry platforms – will help businesses accelerate this transformation and build confidence to invest in their human resources,” said Chusak Chankeitkong, President of the Thai Refrigeration Association.
Participants further highlighted the site visits to the Epta Training Centre and METRO Store Mainz-Kastel as valuable examples of commercial refrigeration solutions using CO₂ (R744) and propane (R290), ranging from tailor-made systems to plug-in cabinets. While CO₂-based refrigeration illustrated scalable low-carbon solutions for retail, they noted the need to adapt such technologies to ASEAN’s tropical conditions. The visits further underscored the critical role of skills development and workforce readiness,with dual vocational education and training (VET) seen as an effective approach to preparing a skilled workforce needed for a safe scale-up of climate-friendly cooling. Delegates pointed to the shortage of certified technicians in ASEAN as a key barrier to adopting natural refrigerants and identified this as a potential area for targeted intervention. They also noted the strength of the dual VET system in fostering tripartite collaboration between the government, industry and educational institutions to enhance industry-relevant skills for the workforce.
In addition, the study visit emphasised the importance of research and innovation through engagements with Hochschule Karlsruhe, University of Applied Sciences. Participants noted important growing evidence that natural refrigerants can deliver superior energy efficiency, providing a valuable basis for future policy dialogue under the APAEC.
Throughout the five-day study visit in Germany, ASEAN delegates gained in-depth insights into relevant policies, advanced technologies and the wide application of natural refrigerants in industrial and commercial refrigeration, with refrigerant choices in line with operational requirements, safety, energy efficiency and climate impact. They were shown the value of holistic system design while recognising that ASEAN’s local conditions may require applications to be adapted. Building on these experiences, the ASEAN Cooling project will translate the key lessons into concrete regional activities through the consolidation and assessment of findings, use of policy-relevant inputs for ASEAN, facilitation of regional knowledge exchange, and identification of pilot opportunities for implementation.
In support of ASEAN’s commitments under the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC), the ASEAN Cooling project – implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) – aims to reduce GHG emissions in cooling-intensive sectors by promoting energy efficiency and climate-friendly cooling technologies. The project focuses on sectors with high cooling demand, including food and beverage and data centres. It operates at both regional and national levels to link ASEAN-wide policy objectives with national implementation and pilot demonstrations.
