Refra Provides 2.4MW Transcritical CO₂ Refrigeration System for a Cold-Storage Facility in London

Lithuania-based manufacturer Refra has delivered a 2.4MW (682TR) CO₂ (R744) refrigeration system for an entire cold-storage facility in London operated by a foodservice wholesaler.

The 44,129m² (475,001ft²) facility “is designed to become a showcase of efficiency, capacity and service in the U.K.,” wrote Refra. The depot is now fully operational and provides storage for fresh, frozen and shelf-stable products. Refra worked with Absolutely Chilled, its official distributor in the U.K., on the project.

System design details: The system includes four Refra transcritical CO₂ container systems.

• Each container provides 445kW (126TR) of medium-temperature (MT) cooling capacity and 150kW (42.6TR) of low temperature (LT) cooling capacity. In total, there are 1.8MW (511TR) of MT and 600kW (170TR) of LT capacity across the four units.
• To simplify installation, all piping is pre-assembled and brought to a single side point, which Refra said can shorten the project timeline “by two to three weeks.”
• Features of the containers include leak detection, integrated lighting and sound insulation. Users can also opt for a top-mounted gas cooler.

Not its first rodeo: Refra has done brisk business in the U.K. and Ireland in the past few years.

• In July 2025, it installed six hydrocarbon heat pumps to provide 1.6MW (455TR) of district heating and hot water for community centers, educational institutions and local government buildings in Solihull, England.
• In 2023, Keelings Flowers in Dublin upgraded its flower processing facility with a Refra propane (R290)-based chiller and heat pump providing a total capacity of 482kW (137TR).

Industrial CO₂ on the rise: Larger CO₂ industrial refrigeration systems are becoming increasingly common in Europe.

• ALDI recently opened a 120,000m2 (1.2 million ft²) warehouse in Bardon, England, using an 8.6MW (2,445TR) CO₂ refrigeration system designed by Space Engineering Services.
• In June 2025, Danish manufacturer Advansor supplied six SteelXL CO₂ racks providing 2.4MW (682TR) of cooling, 700kW (199TR) of freezing and 2.4MW of heating to a Maersk distribution center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
• Europe had 5,650 industrial sites using transcritical CO₂ systems, according to ATMOsphere’s 2025 “Refrigeration: Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration with Natural Refrigerants” report. ATMOsphere is the publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com.