ABB welcomes the European Union’s proposals to update the F-gas Regulation, which aims to reduce potent and harmful greenhouse gas emissions, including Sulfur Hexaflouride (SF6), by two-thirds by 2030 compared to 2014 levels.
The EU proposal outlines important new regulations designed to phase out the use of the Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) – an established but environmentally harmful insulating gas in electrical equipment which is 23,500 time more potent than CO2. This has been made possible with the development of SF6 alternatives paving the way for this level of regulation.
As early adopters and innovators of SF6-free technology, ABB’s ecoGIS switchgear portfolio provides a robust alternative to SF6. ABB introduced AirPlus, its pioneering SF6-free gas mixture technology in medium voltage switchgear, in 2015, and with an open patent made this technology available for everyone to use, further supporting the accelerated phase out of this greenhouse gas.
With that, ABB was the first company to offer an alternative eco-friendly gas to customers and the ecoGIS portfolio is the most complete in the industry covering the whole range up to 40.5kV. The low-pressure design based on AirPlus for solutions above 12kV ensures highest availability and reliability of the network, while at the same time offering a similar footprint and design compared to SF6 switchgear, which allows for easy replacements or additions.
A key part of ABB’s 2030 sustainability strategy is to develop innovative products and solutions to support customers and suppliers to reduce their greenhouse gas and carbon emissions, as well as achieve carbon neutrality in our own operations. Since 2015, ABB has collaborated with partners and customers to accelerate climate action through SF6 alternatives, now with over 9,000 sustainable SF6-free switchgear units sold and performing successfully globally, and will continue to progress the phase out of all technologies harmful to the environment in support of a more sustainable world.
Discover more about our ecoGIS range here and our sustainability strategy here.
