Products
Switchgear
Assemblies that switch, isolate and protect a distribution system, from the medium voltage connection down to the low voltage board.
Specified by
- Rated voltage
- the system it operates on
- Rated current
- busbar and each feederset by the loads and the transformers
- Short time withstand
- kA for a stated durationset by the fault level at the connection
- Panel schedule
- incomers, feeders, couplers, meteringthe specification itself
- Insulation medium
- air, gas or solidset by footprint and destination rules
Switchgear is specified against the network rather than against the load. The rated voltage, the short time withstand current and the internal arc classification all come from the conditions at the connection point, so an assembly that is correct for one site can be unusable at the next.
The practical consequence is that the network operator's requirements and the fault level need to be in hand before an assembly is priced. Where they are not yet available we say so and quote against a stated assumption rather than an implied one.
Switchgear types
Insulating gas and the EU F gas rules
| Switchgear | Putting into operation with fluorinated gas in the insulating or breaking medium is prohibited from |
|---|---|
| Medium voltage, primary and secondary distribution, up to and including 24 kV | 1 January 2026 |
| Medium voltage, primary and secondary distribution, above 24 kV up to and including 52 kV | 1 January 2030 |
| High voltage, 52 kV up to and including 145 kV and up to 50 kA, gas with a global warming potential of 1 or more | 1 January 2028 |
| High voltage, above 145 kV or above 50 kA, gas with a global warming potential of 1 or more | 1 January 2032 |
Regulation (EU) 2024/573, Article 13(9). The prohibition attaches to putting equipment into operation, not to when it was made, which matters for unused surplus stock. Taking switchgear out of operation in the Union and putting it into operation at another Union site is not treated as putting into operation (Article 13(10)). The regulation provides derogations tied to the outcome of a procurement procedure (Article 13(11) and 13(12)). Whether a derogation applies to a project is a question for the project, not for this page.
Related
Send us the requirement
Send the rating, the voltage and the destination, or submit the specification, drawing or nameplate. Anything missing is raised before it reaches a supplier.