In brief

Schneider Electric and Southern California Edison plan to deploy SF6-free, gas-insulated medium-voltage switchgear in U.S. substations, using pure air and vacuum technology instead of sulfur hexafluoride. The first two projects are planned for 2027 at the Great Lakes substation in northern Los Angeles County’s Antelope Valley region and the Running Springs substation in the San Bernardino Mountains. The goal is to help SCE expand grid capacity within existing substation footprints while supporting reliability as electricity demand grows.

The technology will use Schneider Electric’s GMAirSeT switchgear in compact, pre-assembled, enclosed substation systems, which the companies say can be installed more quickly without major rebuilds. SCE expects the smaller footprint and faster installation to help connect new customers more efficiently across its service territory of about 15 million people. The environmental angle is also central: SF6 is described by the U.S. EPA as the most potent greenhouse gas it has evaluated, with an atmospheric lifetime of more than 1,000 years.

Source: T&D World

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