Russia ends production of ozone depleting substances

“The end of ODS production in Russia represents a major milestone in international efforts to eliminated substances destroying the world’s stratospheric ozone layer,” said World Bank Vice President for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Ian Johnson. According to the World Bank, Russia was once one of the world’s largest producers of ODS, accounting for half of the world’s capacity of CFCs and halons in 1998.

The money is coming from ten donor countries and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and was paid to the Russian companies this week, following confirmation that the facilities had closed. The World Bank will continue to monitor the facilities for five years to ensure that they continue to remain ODS free.

“The ending of ODS production in Russia completes the phase out of CFCs and halons in developed countries as required by the Montreal Protocol,” said Chairman of the Special Initiative Technical Review Group, Michael Harris. “Phase out in the developing world will benefit from the experience gained through the Special Initiative. The powerful combination of international funding and international technical expertise provides a successful model for other global environmental projects.”