📋 Tender Overview
Start Date: 01/07/2023
End Date: 30/06/2027
Total Eligible Budget: 3,045,698 €
EU Contribution: 1,827,419 €
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
A new nudge is necessary to finally get rid of SF6 and reach a total neutrality for MV switchgears, even for the 36 kV ones. There is a divide within the industry and technical teams. Thanks to LIFESF6FREE project and a California based initiative for respectively Schneider Electric and Siemens, the 2 leaders successfully developed 12 and 24 kV switchgears with air only but others are still lagging behind. They are trying to derail April 2022 draft Regulation or at list stepping into the breach offered by no suitable alternative is available based on technical grounds within the lower GWP ranges provision and using lower GWP alternative gases to SF6 while air shall be the solution. In contrast, consensus existed for 36 kV. Technical bottlenecks difficult to circumvent justified either to keep SF6 or to switch to a less harmful fluorinated gas despite potential health related issues. 36 kV represented circa 10% of the business and assessed as marginal and an unsatisfactory solution for this voltage considered a lesser evil. However, trends are dramatically evolving with EU Green Deal and other public policies. Onshore renewables power generation, PV and wind, and electrical vehicles fast charging points growth are reshuffling existing balances. 36 kV is now expected to be a solution of choice for these purposes, leading to almost double 36 KV operating switchgears in the next 10 years. CO2 eq. emissions surplus is estimated at about 17 million of tons and 69 million until 2050, and then substantial enough to find real solutions. Leveraging experience learned from previous project, which is sustaining current technical and policy (r)evolutions, Schneider is willing to roll-out a new capacity-building project with air only 36 kV to demonstrate to all stakeholders there is a suitable solution (safety, costs, energy efficiency, fit-for-purpose) manufacturers and customers can enact, for switchgears industry to do its part in meeting 2030 and 2050 environment targets.
