Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba ESS) and Meidensha Corporation (Meidensha) have been collaborating since 2020 on the joint development of Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) for 72kV/84kV using a natural origin gas that contains no sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) at all, and have now decided to accelerate the development and commercialization of this GIS due to higher demand for environmentally friendly products in the market. Especifically, the two companies plan to complete type tests to confirm performance in line with international standards by March 2022.
The GIS under joint development uses a Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) for high-current interruption and dry air for the main circuit insulation of the equipment and for the current switching parts of the disconnect and earthing switches to ensure insulation performance and high-current interruption capability. Toshiba ESS will be responsible for the entire GIS, while Meidensha will be in charge of the development of the main component, the VCB.
Commenting on the combined work, Koji Saito, Director, Vice President of the Grid Aggregation Division of Toshiba ESS said, “We are very proud of this joint development with Meidensha. We have a great deal of expertise in the development of GIS products as a whole, including the 72 kV GIS launched into a commercial operation firstly in Japan in 1969. On the other hand, Toshiba ESS has been developing SF6 alternative technologies for more than 15 years.”
