HD Hyundai Electric develops environmentally friendly 420-kilovolt circuit breaker for European markets

HD Hyundai Electric said on Monday that it completed development of an environmentally friendly 420-kilovolt circuit breaker, a workhorse tier for major operators across Europe.

The breaker — which avoids sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), a potent greenhouse gas widely used as an insulating material in electrical equipment — marks the first product of its kind developed by a Korean power equipment maker and only the third in the world.

The technology itself swaps out SF6 for C4-FN, a fluoronitrile-based gas mixture with a global warming potential about 98 percent lower, which required the company to redesign the breaker’s insulation and switching mechanism rather than substitute gasses.

It aligns with the 400-kilovolt transmission lines that comprise more than half of the grids run by major European transmission operators.

"HD Hyundai Electric is currently in talks for a long-term supply contract with a major British utility and intends to land its first order by early next year," a spokesperson for the company said.

The company also plans to complete development of additional SF6-free breakers rated at 300 kilovolts and 362 kilovolts within the next three years.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]