Q: Please briefly explain your role, involvement and experience with regards to SF6 and switchgear
Matt Barnett, SSEN Transmission (MB): I’ve overall technical responsibility for switchgear at SSEN Transmission – the TO for the North of Scotland – this includes specification, product assessment and much more besides. SSEN were an early adopter of SF6 alternatives, and I’ve been deeply involved in this now for several years – this has included bringing some of the first SF6 products onto the UK transmission network, as well as looking at how we look after these assets for the coming decades. Outside SSEN I am active on several national and international groups.
Mark Waldron, National Grid & CIGRE (MW): I have been involved in technical aspects and asset management of transmission switchgear for more than 30 years. My present role with National Grid Electricity Transmission is Technical Leader, with a particular focus upon net-zero asset strategy. SF6 emissions are the largest controllable element of NGET’s scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas emissions so deploying alternative technologies and ensuring we manage our SF6 inventory in the best way are very important to us. As such I spend much of my time working with colleagues from across the power industry to ensure that we have the right solutions in place in a timely and risk managed manner.
Jacob Andresen, Defra (JA): I am Head of the domestic fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gas) and ozone depleting substances (ODS) team in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The team is responsible for F-gas legislation. The legislation includes requirements as regards the use of SF6 in switchgear. For example: labelling; leak checking, detection and repair; training and certification of technicians; and end of life recovery.
John Parsons, BEAMA (JP): I work for BEAMA, representing a wide range of manufacturers of switchgear and am the lead on our F-Gases Review TF.
Q: What is the top challenge facing your industry at present?
MB: Growth – the industry is growing at a pace we’ve probably not seen since it’s conception. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the north of Scotland. This is exciting of course, and essential to meet environmental targets, but comes with big challenges as well. From specific perspective of SF6 in electricity transmission, we need to avoid the installation of as much SF6 as possible while still growing the transmission network to accommodate changing generation and ensuring continued reliability as society becomes ever more reliant on electricity.
MW: NGET is committed to be at the heart of a clean, fair, and affordable energy future and I think that this frames the challenges we face very well. To meet net-zero environmental targets and ambitions the power sector must connect and integrate vast quantities of renewal resources and storage in a relatively short time, whilst managing our existing impacts such as SF6 emissions. This is by far the largest change since the power system was first conceived and constructed and will require close collaboration across a wide range of stakeholders, and significant structural changes to the way that the power system is planned and developed. And we must do all of this in a fair and affordable manner that doesn’t discriminate against specific groups or sectors of society. A final challenge is the availability of the skills and expertise which are required to deliver the future energy system.
JA: Government is committed to achieving net-zero. We need to review the F-gas legislation to identify ways in which it might be changed to further support that objective.
JP: Delivering the equipment needed to meet net-zero affordably, sustainably and in the face of the current supply chain disruptions.
Q: How would you say your industry has evolved over the past two years?
MB: I could give the same answer as the last question – its grown! From the perspective of SF6 I think there’ve been two main evolutions: applications where SF6 alternatives were pilot project two years ago have quickly come to business as usual; looking beyond the UK, we’ve seen SF6 alternatives go from something of a niche to one of the main topics in the industry around the world.
MW: In recent years the focus upon the environment and net-zero targets, both in terms of our direct impacts and NGET’s role in facilitating the future power system, has led to step changes in connection applications, major infrastructure development projects and responsible management of environmental impacts such as SF6 emission.
JA: Following EU Exit, we have a GB F-Gas regulatory framework (run jointly with Scottish and Welsh Governments) that is separate from the EU’s F-Gas framework. (Northern Ireland remains within and subject to the EU’s F-gas system and legislation.)
JP: Most companies have brought out non-SF6 switchgear and are in various stages of commercialising these.
Q: What developments are going on in your industry that may have an impact on future plans to eradicate SF6?
MB: The most obvious one is the development of equipment, like switchgear, by the manufacturers that uses an alternative to SF6, but there are many alongside this:
The research ongoing to understand the performance of this equipment – and the gas / gas mixture within it – especially over the long term, that allows end users like ourselves to manage assets through their life.
With the uses of gases other than SF6 come the need for new tools, changes to operational practices and a review of asset management processes.
We must also not overlook increasingly stringent regulation on the use of SF6 – while welcome in principle, the regulations must be properly thought out.
MW: From a transmission perspective, the last 6-8 years has seen a dramatic change in the switchgear technology landscape, with SF6-free technologies being progressively developed and installed for applications where SF6 has been the de-facto standard for decades. Considering typical utility timescales and risk aversion, these technologies are being developed and introduced very rapidly, and there is still much work to do in the fields of technology development, standardisation, asset management and EHS. Nevertheless, a combination of best practice management of SF6 inventory, and moving at-pace to the use of SF6-free solutions for new and replacement projects certainly creates the prospect of major reductions in year-on-year SF6 emissions, and the eventual elimination of SF6 from our networks.
JA: We are reviewing the GB F-gas legislation with a view to identifying potential changes that will support the UK’s net-zero objective.
JP: There are two key drivers, the review of the F-Gas Regulations will put new and likely very stringent constraints on the use of SF6 plus many customers are seeking to eliminate SF6 as part of their own net-zero commitments.
Q: What will you be presenting at the seminar and how will this benefit participants?
MB: Building a network for net-zero: the importance of industry cooperation and effective communication of requirements. There are many great speakers at this event, so I am hoping that I can give the audience particular insight from the perspective of an end user.
MW: I have the privilege of making two separate presentations, one on behalf of NGET and one on behalf of CIGRE. My NGET presentation is entitled “A road map to minimise SF6 emissions and ultimately eliminate SF6 from networks”. I will attempt to put into context the scale of our challenge over the next three decades as a transmission utility with an SF6 inventory of more than 900 tonnes including aspects such as the delivery challenge, regulatory risks, asset management complexities, international standards, and the like.
My CIGRE presentation will be a brief overview of the work of three international working groups within CIGRE that have looked at specific aspects of the move towards SF6-free technologies. Whilst it will not be possible to address this work in detail in a short presentation, I hope to give the participants some insight into and orientation around some of the international collaboration in this field.
JA: I will be highlighting our legislative review and encouraging participants to input to our intended consultation that we hope to launch next year, which will set out proposals for change.
JP: I will aim to explain how good SF6 was aside from its CO2 equivalent value, the challenges manufacturers face in looking for alternatives and, having achieved all of that, the further challenges of introducing new technology into a market dominated by very long life products.
Q: Which other speakers and presentations are you looking forward to hearing at the forthcoming seminar?
MB: I’m interested to hear from Defra on the wider perspective. Technical discussions with manufacturers, TOs and others are a regular part of my day-to-day work, but it is important to understand how the technical aspects fit in.
MW: I’m not going single out any specific speaker or topic. The real value is in the sharing of knowledge & expertise and the promotion of collaboration across all stakeholders such that we can move forward with our SF6 management ambitions. All the participants have a role to play in achieving this.
JA: I have a general interest in hearing about technological opportunities to move away from SF6 and reducing emissions from existing equipment.
JP: I'm especially keen to hear from Mark Waldron and getting a better understanding of the viewpoint of the transmission companies.
Q: Why is it important for engineers to come together at this event and share best practice?
MB: It has always been important to share our own knowledge and learn from the experience of others, this in turn allows for the development of common understanding and standards that are in everyone’s interest. The move away from SF6 is needed, and a key part of decarbonisation, but introducing technology changes very quickly naturally has some challenges, which makes this collaboration even more important.
MW: The sheer scale of the challenges we face in the coming years and decades to deliver a power system which is fit for purpose in a net-zero world can only be addressed by greater sharing and collaboration.
JA: The UK is committed to achieving net-zero. We will all need to change the way we live and work to meet this objective. In support of this, identifying ways to further reduce SF6 use and emissions falls within scope of the Government’s review of F-gas legislation.
JP: Replacing SF6 if a huge challenge and entails a complete change to a whole product ecosystem. This is a great opportunity for all those involved in this process to come together and understand all the elements of the challenge.
The Switchgear: Life after SF6 seminar will be taking place on 21 November 2022 at One Birdcage Walk, London.
To book your place, please visit the event website.