PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Currently High Voltage manufacturers develop new equipment with lower carbon impact. This new equipment will be available in the coming years and start to replace outdated equipment. With the LIFE project “SECO2ND LIFE GIS” Grids Solutions (hereafter GE) aims to develop and deploy an alternative gas to SF6 not for new installations but for GE’s existing installed base of 420kV gas-insulated substation (GIS). This new gas called g³ gas mixture is adapted to be compatible with existing GIS. By doing so GE addresses the urgent need to phase out powerful fluorinated greenhouse gases in the industry, replacing SF6, a gas 25.200 times more powerful than CO2 with an atmospheric lifetime of 3.200 years. This gas is used in large quantities in high and medium voltage equipment especially in GIS. This accelerates the phase out of SF6 by removing considerable amounts of SF6 from existing installation without building completely new substations. In particular GE addresses its 420kV portfolio called T155-3, first produced in 2008, installed in 31 countries and operating in more than 1.000 GIS bays representing in total 637 tons of SF6 equivalent to 16Mio. tons of CO2e. The goal is to remove the SF6 gas from its installation and replenish it with a new version of g³ gas mixture dedicated to existing equipment. On top of gas exchange only small modifications are needed. With the project called “SECO2ND LIFE GIS” GE aims to requalify significant SF6 volume of entire operating T155-3 substation with g³. GE sees a market potential covered by the solution of globally 417 tons of SF6. With conservative approach only 50% of this market will be addressed meaning 210 tons of SF6 can be removed from existing equipment. By this GE expects to save worldwide in the 5-years following the implementation of project 19.134 tons CO2e. The LIFE project “SECO2ND LIFE GIS” will benefit from former LIFE projects as the know-how from g³ technology will be used for this development.