Blog post from Ahti Kuitunen

NorMax Air - farewell to SF6 gas

SF6 gas, or sulphur hexafluoride, is a colourless, odourless and stable gas whose good insulating properties have been exploited in electrical engineering for decades. Using SF6 gas, switchgear and switching devices have become smaller and more reliable. 

Unfortunately, SF6 gas is also one of the most potent greenhouse gases known. It has a warming potential about 23,500 times greater than carbon dioxide and, once released in the atmosphere, SF6 gas affects the climate centuries. The use of SF6 gas has been regulated and restricted in Europe for a long time, so the ban on the use of SF6 gas in medium voltage switchgear did not come as a surprise.

As part of its strategy to combat climate change, the European Union published a regulation in February 2024 that bans the use of switchgear containing SF6 gas, as follows:

- Switchgear Ur < 24 kV from 1.1.2026
- Switchgear 24 kV < Ur < 52 kV from 1.1.2030

The installation and commissioning protocol for 24 kV switchgear containing SF6 gas must therefore be completed by 31.12.2025.

Norelco's SF6 gas-free solution

Norelco's answer to the climate challenge is the new, fully air-insulated NorMax Air switchgear, where SF6 gas in the switch-disconnector is completely replaced by clean air. This major step forward for the climate has been taken without compromising on performance, ease of use or installation. 

The switch-disconnector is three-position, mechanically robust and has excellent electrical performance. Breaking and making functions are reliably performed in the vacuum interrupters. Designed and tested according to IEC 62271-103 and IEC 62271-105. 

The new NorMax Air enclosure is designed to be compatible with the old NorMax enclosure, so any expansion of the old enclosure is easy to implement.

The NorMax Air will replace the existing NorMax in summer 2025.

Ahti Kuitunen, product development manager