Hitachi Energy to deliver the world’s first 550 kV SF₆-free eco-efficient GIS.

Hitachi Energy recently announced it will supply State Grid Corporation of China’s Central China Branch with the world’s first 550 kV SF₆-free GIS. This groundbreaking innovation marks a significant milestone in grid decarbonization and contributes to China’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

State Grid Corporation of China is the world’s largest power grid operator, serving 88% of China’s territory and over 1.1 billion people. As a leader in the energy sector, State Grid actively fulfills its sustainability commitments and has formulated an action plan to achieve “peak carbon” and “carbon neutrality.”

The 550 kV SF₆-free GIS to be delivered to State Grid’s Central China region belongs to Hitachi Energy’s EconiQ™ portfolio—a suite of products, services, and solutions engineered for exceptional environmental performance. EconiQ technologies strengthen critical infrastructure while significantly reducing the environmental impact of power systems.

By replacing SF₆ with an eco-friendly gas mixture, the 550 kV EconiQ GIS eliminates greenhouse gas emissions associated with SF₆, while maintaining the same reliability and compactness as conventional solutions. Given that SF₆ has a global warming potential 24,300 times greater than CO₂ and persists in the atmosphere for over 1,000 years if released, replacing it with environmentally benign alternatives is crucial for planetary protection.

Since 2022, Hitachi Energy has supplied State Grid with a series of 145 kV EconiQ eco-efficient GIS and live-tank circuit breakers (LTA) to support its green and low-carbon development strategy. With an increasingly comprehensive portfolio of sustainable and high-performance solutions, Hitachi Energy is well-positioned to meet the growing market demand for reliable and environmentally responsible grid technologies.

The EconiQ high-voltage product family includes SF₆-free LTAs, GIS, gas-insulated transmission lines (GIL), dead-tank circuit breakers (DTB), and Retrofill conversion solutions for GIL systems. This extensive offering addresses both new substation construction and retrofitting of existing installations, laying a solid foundation for the energy sector’s transition toward a low-carbon future.