China’s Largest Juice Company Builds New Distribution Center with 5.5MW CO₂ Refrigeration System

A new 5.5MW (1,563TR) CO₂ (R744) cold storage facility has been built in Yancheng, China, for Huiyuan Juice, the country’s largest juice manufacturer.

Italy-based heat exchanger manufacturer LU-VE shared news about the project, for which it supplied 28 air coolers from its production facility in Tianmen, China. LU-VE described the facility as “one of the world’s tallest fully automated cold storage warehouses.” The warehouse reaches a height of 62m (203ft) and has a storage volume of 250,000m³ (8,828,666ft³). It can accommodate 50,000 metric tons of goods. The facility will serve Yancheng and its surrounding areas within a 200km (124mi) radius, LU-VE wrote in a LinkedIn post.

“The system is currently under final preparation before commissioning,” wrote LU-VE, and the system is expected to begin operation by the end of the year. CO₂ was selected because of its efficiency and environmental benefits, with other refrigerants not even considered, the company added.

System configuration: The warehouse operates between −22°C (−8°F) and −25°C (−13°F) and features 28 LU-VE air coolers.

• The system provides 4MW (1,137TR) of cooling capacity at −10°C (14°F) and a cooling capacity of 1.5MW (426TR) at −32°C (−26°F).
• The low-temperature area of the warehouse stocks seafood and frozen products.

LU-VE’s footprint in China: LU-VE wrote on LinkedIn that it has “contributed to several CO₂ major installations, including projects for logistics and large retail operations.”

• The manufacturer told NaturalRefrigerants.com it also supplied Sam’s Club stores in China with direct-expansion CO₂ gas coolers, as well as CO₂ unit coolers featuring hot-glycol and hot-gas defrost.

CO₂ in China: As of December 2025 there were an estimated 25 stores and 10 industrial sites using transcritical CO₂ refrigeration systems in China, according to the report “Natural Refrigerants: State of the Industry 2025” from ATMOsphere, publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com. CO₂ is also present in the commercial HVAC sector.

• In February 2026 Ordos Ejin Horo Airport replaced fossil fuel boilers with R744-based heating and cooling systems featuring 18 evaporators supplied by German manufacturer Güntner. Each unit has a 350kW (99.5TR) when operating in ambient temperatures of −12°C (10°F) with an evaporation temperature of −18°C (0°F).
• Haier Carrier supplied a CO₂ heat pump system for space heating and comfort cooling for a 54,000m² (581,251ft²) AstraZeneca pharmaceutical complex in Qingdao. The system has a heating capacity of 5.2MW (1,478TR) and a cooling capacity of 950kW (270TR).

CO₂ without borders: LU-VE’s CO₂ projects extend beyond China.

• In April 2026 LU-VE supplied evaporators for a 1.5MW (426.5TR) transcritical CO₂ cooling system at a 1,000m² (10,760ft²) data center in Paterna, Spain.
• Tommaso Scavone, Senior Sales Manager North America at LU-VE U.S., announced the expansion of the manufacturer’s Texas facility in 2025. The 70,000ft² (6,500m²) manufacturing facility for CO₂ air coils and unit coolers has expanded by 220,000ft² (20,400m²). “Starting in 2026 we will manufacture all of our U.S. outdoor CO₂ units ‒ including gas coolers, condensers and dry coolers ‒ in the new facility,” he said.

Quotable: “CO₂ is increasingly becoming the preferred choice for forward-looking cold-chain operators seeking both performance and sustainability,” said LU-VE.