Hitachi Energy, Linxon Equip National Grid with 420 kV SF6-Free Gas-Insulated Switchgear
Hitachi Energy and Linxon are collaborating to strengthen London Power Tunnels (LPT), a key power infrastructure project that will ensure reliable, clean electricity supply for England’s capital city.
To support National Grid in accelerating its net zero targets, Hitachi Energy will deliver EconiQ 420-kilovolt (kV) gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) and gas-insulated lines (GIL) containing no sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).
National Grid plans to remove all SF6 from its fleet by 2050. In 2020, it embarked on LPT project that will replace ageing high-voltage electricity cables and expand network capacity to meet the increasing electricity demand. Considered to be one of the city’s largest engineering projects since the 1960s, the LPT will span 32.5 kilometers via underground tunnels in South London.
Linxon is building Bengeworth Road substation for National Grid to develop the LPT infrastructure. To support National Grid in its transition to SF6-free solutions, Hitachi Energy will deliver 7 bays of its EconiQ 420 kV GIS to enable the transmission of electricity over long distances while eliminating SF6, in addition to EconiQ 420 kV GIL. The EconiQ high-voltage portfolio is 100 percent as reliable as the conventional solutions based on SF6. The installation is expected to commence by 2023.