The implementation of restrictive legislation regarding cooling towers usage in some of the Spanish Autonomous Communities, in favor of other alternatives, has, according to Climanoticias,  spread a feeling of alarm among the representatives of the refrigeration sector, who consider the connection between evaporative cooling equipment (cooling towers and evaporative condensers) and recent legionellosis outbreaks in different Spanish cities to be wrong.

“A legionellosis outbreak can only be linked to a cooling tower if there is a highly improbable chain of events and only inadequate equipment maintenance will allow for the development of the bacteria in the recirculation water. Eventually, it will get into the atmosphere and cause a legionellosis outbreak”, assures the National Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Companies Association (ANEFRYC). The companies represented by this association (about 75%) believe advantages in using this kind of equipment are very big, especially in what concerns energy efficiency.

According to Manuel Lamúa, Anefryc’s secretary general, its use can offer significant energy savings, far superior to that of other alternatives. Nevertheless, this is not talked about. Legionellosis risk, on the other hand, can be corrected with good water treatment and adequate facilities maintenance. Refrigeration industry representatives feel there is a big contradiction between restrictive policies on cooling towers usage as those promoted by government entities responsible for reducing CO2 emissions, and more energy efficient cooling systems usage (evaporative cooling equipment). This contradiction among different administrations has led representatives of this sector do ask for coordinated action on the part of the Government regarding this situation.