ATMOsphere, the publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com, is headed back to Australia with a bang, with the ATMOsphere (ATMO) Australia Summit 2025 to feature feature a case study on propane (R290) commercial HVAC as well as presentations from IKEA and Woolworths.
In addition, the two-day event will feature presentations from industrial cold storage companies Cold Xpress and Fernhurst, independent grocery stores Ritchies Stores and Jeffires Supermarket and leading manufacturers and installers.
The first in-person ATMO event in Australia since 2019, will be held May 12–13 in Sydney. Representatives from nearly 100 end users, manufacturers, installers, government offices, industry associations and more will gather to discuss the latest in natural refrigerant technology, installations and policy in Australia, New Zealand and the broader APAC and Oceania regions. The list of attending organizations can be found here.
Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.
The ATMO Australia Summit 2025 is being chaired by Jan Dusek, COO and Head of APAC at ATMOsphere. NaturalRefrigerants.com recently spoke with Dusek about ATMOsphere’s decision to return to Australia along with what attendees can expect from the event.
ATMO Australia was last held online in 2020. Why did ATMO choose to bring back the event this year?
Jan Dusek: ARBS 2024 was a game changer because it showed that Australia is ready to follow Europe on commercial HVAC, chillers and heat pumps. I’m talking about big heat pumps using CO2 [R744] and R290. We now have an opportunity to not just tackle the latest and best in refrigeration but also commercial and industrial heating and cooling.
This is massive. For the first time, we are talking about R290 air-conditioning in shopping malls and CO2 heat pumps in hotels. Around half of our total sponsors are offering solutions for this new sector, in addition to their offerings in refrigeration.
“We now have an opportunity to not just tackle the latest and best in refrigeration but also commercial and industrial heating and cooling.”
Jan Dusek, ATMOsphere COO and Head of APAC
ATMO events are known for showcasing cutting-edge natural refrigerant technology and systems. What are you excited to see on stage at ATMO Australia?
JD: As I mentioned, I’m excited about the progress being made with heat pumps and chillers. These are big systems, using ammonia [R717/NH3], CO2 and R290. There will also be cutting-edge industrial refrigeration projects shown, including systems using ammonia direct expansion and transcritical CO2.
Commercial refrigeration will be well covered, too, and we’ll see the latest modifications and concepts of transcritical CO2 for food retail, including integrated air-conditioning, condensing units, waterloop systems – we’ve got it all.
Who are some of the end users that’ll be presenting, and what will they cover?
JD: Food retailers such as Woolworths will be talking about complete decarbonization, while other food retailers will discuss their experience with the latest transcritical CO2 refrigeration systems. On the industrial side, it’ll be great to have Scantec Refrigeration Technologies on stage to talk about ammonia DX systems and to see Advansor discuss its transcritical CO2 racks.
We’re also incredibly excited to announce that IKEA will be on stage discussing how it uses natural refrigerant-based technologies to meet the heating and cooling needs of its stores and the challenges they’ve faced and overcame.
The hotel CO2 heat pump and R290 shopping mall chiller projects will also be interesting. The R290 chiller is notable because we’ve never had anything like this at ATMO Australia before.
ATMO events are also where the latest developments in refrigerant and PFAS policy and research are shared. What can attendees expect on that front?
JD: ATMOsphere is deeply involved in monitoring the PFAS [per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances] discussion and is actively engaging key global experts and helping organize webinars to inform policymakers and industry. ATMO’s Founder and CEO, Marc Chasserot, will share the latest on this subject with delegates throughout the conference.
ATMO events sometimes feature surprise announcements from end users or manufacturers. Are there any in store for Sydney?
JD: ARBS 2024 was clear evidence that R290 and R744 solutions will be increasingly available in the residential, commercial and industrial heating and cooling sector in Australia. This is happening mostly through cooperation and partnerships. More and more leading European suppliers are offering their products and sharing their experience with local partners. In addition, we also see more happening on the made-in-Australia front and could not be more excited to see what local manufacturers can offer.
We can expect some exciting announcements and details of new partnerships being made during the conference. The natural refrigerants revolution in Australia’s HVAC sector is just beginning.
