Hitachi Energy: Hitachi Energy collaborates with Eversource to install the first EconiQ™ 420-kilovolt circuit-breaker in the US

Hitachi Energy will install the world’s first eco-efficient EconiQ™ 420-kilovolt (kV) circuit-breaker for Eversource in the US. A game-changing technology that eliminates sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), this will be the first 420 kV SF6-free circuit-breaker installation in the country.

Eversource is New England’s largest energy company, serving approximately 4 million customers in the region. This project supports the company’s sustainability goals, including meeting targets to achieve carbon-neutrality in their own operations by 2030. Using innovative technologies to replace or reduce SF6 in their 345 kV transmission system is a key part of that effort.

Hitachi Energy will install the EconiQ 420 kV Dead Tank Breaker (DTB) at an Eversource 345 kV substation by mid-2023. The EconiQ DTB 420 kV is Hitachi Energy’s latest eco-efficient innovation that is 100 percent as reliable as the conventional solution based on SF6.

The technology is based on the world’s first EconiQ circuit-breaker for 420 kV which Hitachi Energy unveiled at CIGRE Session 2022 in Paris, France. This breakthrough marks a key milestone in the industry to transmit large amounts of electricity over long distances while eliminating significant volumes of SF6.

“At Eversource, we are committed to building a cleaner energy future for our customers and achieving our goal of having our own operations carbon-neutral by 2030,” said Aftab Khan, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Eversource. “The EconiQ DTB aligns with our mission to replace SF6 with better alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

“Now more than ever, the world needs eco-efficient solutions that will support worldwide efforts to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases such as SF6. The 420 kV circuit-breaker is a demonstration of our technology that is reliable and scalable to reach ultra-high-voltage levels with the lowest carbon footprint,” said Markus Heimbach, Managing Director of the High Voltage Products business at Hitachi Energy. “We are proud to be working with Eversource to support their efforts towards carbon-neutrality.”

EconiQ is Hitachi Energy’s eco-efficient portfolio for sustainability, where products, services and solutions are proven to deliver exceptional environmental performance. Hitachi Energy has placed sustainability at the heart of its Purpose and is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. Its high-voltage portfolio also includes EconiQ Retrofill, another world’s first in replacing SF6 in existing high-voltage equipment and EconiQ gas-insulated current transformers. The EconiQ high-voltage technologies are widely adopted by key customers in Europe.