Switchgear
Medium voltage switchgear
Metal enclosed assemblies for systems above 1 kV, built from incomer, feeder, coupler and metering panels to the protection scheme your network requires.
- Standard
- IEC 62271-200above 1 kV up to and including 52 kV
- Common rated voltages
- 12, 17.5, 24 and 36 kVfor 10 or 11, 13.8, 20 or 22, and 33 kV systems
- Construction
- air, gas or solid insulated
- Switching device
- withdrawable or fixed circuit breakers, or switches
- Internal arc
- classified by type testdecides the room and where people can stand
A medium voltage assembly is built from panels, and the panel schedule is the specification. The incomer takes the supply cable, and each feeder serves a transformer or an outgoing circuit. A bus coupler joins two sections where you need redundancy. A metering panel is added where the operator meters on the medium voltage side.
Settle the internal arc classification early. A type test proves it for the configuration tested, and it decides whether the room needs pressure relief and where the assembly can stand. Raising it once the room is built is rarely possible.
What gets specified
| Parameter | Typical options | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Rated voltage | 12, 17.5, 24 or 36 kV | The system voltage |
| Rated normal current | Busbar and feeder ratings in A | The loads and transformers supplied |
| Short time withstand current | kA for a stated duration | The fault level at the connection point |
| Panel schedule | Incomers, feeders, couplers, metering, spares | The single line diagram |
| Switching device | Circuit breaker, load break switch, switch fuse | The duty of each feeder |
| Construction | Withdrawable or fixed, air, gas or solid insulated | Footprint, maintenance approach and destination rules |
| Internal arc classification | As proven by type test | The room and operating practice |
| Protection and control | Relays, instrument transformers, interlocks | The protection scheme |
Gas, air or solid insulation at 36 kV
The EU dates differ by voltage. Distribution switchgear up to 24 kV may no longer be put into operation with fluorinated gas for insulation or breaking from 1 January 2026, and above 24 kV up to 52 kV the date is 1 January 2030. A 33 kV assembly ordered now may therefore still be gas insulated in the EU, while an 11 or 20 kV one may not.
The regulation also sets out derogations tied to the outcome of a procurement procedure, in Article 13(11) and 13(12). Where your project relies on one, say so in the request, because it changes which manufacturers can offer.
A site in Great Britain is outside these dates altogether, because GB has not adopted Regulation (EU) 2024/573; a site in Northern Ireland is inside them. Gas insulated panels therefore remain an open choice for an English or Scottish project at any voltage.
UK network operators specify switchgear for service up to 36 kV, cable or overhead connected, to ENA TS 41-36, and ground mounted distribution RMUs to its successor for that equipment, TS 41-41. In Dubai, DEWA's published standards rate 11 kV equipment at 25 kA for 3 s and 63 kA peak, with ratings expressed at a 55 °C ambient, so a panel offered there is checked against both figures.
Applicable standards
| Standard | What it covers |
|---|---|
| IEC 62271-200 | The assembly itself: metal enclosed, above 1 kV up to and including 52 kV, indoor and outdoor, including its internal arc classification |
| IEC 62271-1 | The ratings and tests common to every switching device in the panels |
| IEC 62271-100 | The circuit breakers in incomer and feeder panels |
| IEC 61936-1 | Power installations exceeding 1 kV AC, for the room and installation around the assembly |
| Regulation (EU) 2024/573 | The F gas dates for new switchgear, set out on the switchgear overview |
Documents particular to a panel assembly
| Document | What to check |
|---|---|
| Panel schedule as offered | Each panel's function, device and rating against your single line diagram |
| Internal arc type test report | That the tested configuration and room layout match the assembly offered |
| Instrument transformer data | Current and voltage transformer ratios and classes for the protection and metering scheme |
What a medium voltage switchgear request needs
- The single line diagram, or the panel schedule with each panel's function
- The short time withstand current and its duration, from the fault level at the connection point
- The internal arc classification the room and operating practice require
- Withdrawable or fixed devices, and gas, air or solid insulation
- The protection relays wanted, or the scheme they must fit
Specification template
Fill it in on screen or by hand, then upload it with your request.
Questions buyers ask
Who provides the protection settings?
Your engineer agrees them with the network operator, and the party that commissions the switchgear applies them. The switchgear we source is specified to carry that protection scheme.
Can a 33 kV assembly still be gas insulated in the EU?
Above 24 kV up to 52 kV, the EU prohibition on putting new switchgear into operation with fluorinated gas for insulation or breaking starts on 1 January 2030, so it can until then. Up to 24 kV the date was 1 January 2026. We confirm the insulation medium for your destination and programme before quoting.