Officials from a Swedish utility company inspect HD Hyundai Electric's 145 kilovolt SF6-free circuit breaker in the Korean firm's manufacturing plant in Ulsan, Thursday. Courtesy of HD Hyundai Electric
HD Hyundai Electric has passed a final hurdle to export its eco-friendly circuit breakers to Sweden, cementing its product lineups in a European market known for environmental strictness.
The Korean industrial electric equipment developer said Sunday it completed testing its 145 kilovolt (kV) SF6-free circuit breaker on Thursday with its client from Sweden present. SF6, or sulfur hexafluoride, has a global warming potential 23,500 times that of carbon dioxide.
In 2024, the European Union tightened regulations on fluorinated greenhouse gases, or F-gases, increasing legal restrictions on artificial gases such as refrigerants (HFCs), semiconductor cleaning solvents (PFCs) and insulating gas (SF6). According to the Korean company, the bloc plans to ban SF6 in circuit breakers with capacities of 145kV or higher starting in 2032.
HD Hyundai Electric said the EU regulations are expected to increase demands for high-voltage circuit breakers with zero SF6.
Following its final test, the Korean firm’s SF6-free circuit breaker will be supplied to a substation run by a Swedish utility company.
HD Hyundai Electric said SF6-free high-voltage circuit breakers are difficult to develop because they require significant technical expertise to achieve insulation and breaking performance on par with conventional SF6-based products.
The Korean firm is focusing on expanding its portfolio of SF6-free high-voltage circuit breakers to proactively respond to EU’s market regulations.
The company has already developed 72.5kV, 145kV and 170kV products and plans to complete its full lineup of SF6-free high-voltage circuit breakers by 2028. The company also aims to complete development of a 420kV circuit breaker by the end of June, which has the greatest potential demand in the European market.
“SF6-free high-voltage circuit breaker is a product with high technical barriers. The successful final test for the 145kV model is a significant achievement that demonstrates HD Hyundai Electric's technological competitiveness,” a company official said.
Source: Korea Times News
