Hitachi Energy, a global leader in electrification, today announced the launch of new additions in its EconiQ® high-voltage portfolio at CIGRE 2026 in Paris, reinforcing the company’s leadership in SF6-free technologies for the grid of the future.
As nations accelerate efforts to cut carbon emissions, replacing sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) in power grids is a crucial step toward more sustainable infrastructure. Hitachi Energy is supporting this transition with its latest solutions, including the EconiQ 300-kilovolt (kV) circuit breaker, available as a gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) or a 245 kV dead tank circuit breaker (DTB), and the EconiQ 420 kV 80 kiloamperes (kA) live tank circuit breaker (LTA).
SF6 remains the most widely used insulating and interrupting medium in high-voltage switchgear, prized for its performance but increasingly faulted for its negative climate impact. However, it is 24,300 times more potent than CO2 and can linger in the atmosphere for over a millennium. These SF6-based switchgear technologies are used in transmission and distribution networks worldwide, making them a critical part of resilient electricity systems. For utilities and corporations pursuing net-zero goals, eco-efficient technologies like Hitachi Energy’s EconiQ can help reduce the grid's environmental footprint while maintaining the reliability customers depend on every day.
EconiQ is Hitachi Energy’s portfolio of SF6-free high-voltage switchgear that has pioneered several world-first innovations. With the introduction of new voltage levels, EconiQ’s footprint continues to expand, with more than 4,000 units ordered by customers in 40 different countries.
“Every SF6-free project helps customers reduce the long-term environmental impact of their grids while continuing to deliver the safe and reliable power their communities and industries need,” said Markus Heimbach, CEO of the High Voltage Products Business Unit at Hitachi Energy. “Switchgear is built to last for decades. The choices utilities make now about what goes into their substations will still be shaping grid emissions in 2060. That is exactly why we are expanding the EconiQ portfolio rating by rating, so customers have proven, SF6-free options at the voltage and performance levels they need today.”
Customer wins demonstrate growing demand for SF6-free grid technology
Both new EconiQ products have found enthusiastic acceptance from utilities seeking to stay ahead of evolving SF6 regulations and achieve their own sustainability commitments. It demonstrates that utilities and infrastructure partners are moving from ambition to action by deploying SF6-free technology in power grids.
In North America, Hydro One and Wesco have placed orders for the new EconiQ DTB 245 kV, highlighting the demand for sustainable grid solutions that can be deployed without compromising reliability or operational performance.
Hydro One, Ontario's largest electricity transmission and distribution service provider, is investing in infrastructure and technologies that support a reliable, resilient and sustainable electricity system. The new EconiQ 245 kV circuit breakers will help modernize Hydro One’s transmission infrastructure while supporting efforts to reduce environmental impacts, strengthen grid resilience and prepare for future growth across the province.
"Ontario's electricity demand is increasing, and continued investment in innovative, sustainable solutions is critical to maintaining a reliable and resilient grid," said Lindsay Zylstra, Vice President, Supply Chain, Hydro One. "As we build and modernize Ontario’s electricity system to support growth, we will continue to work with trusted suppliers that invest in Canada and Ontario. Hitachi Energy’s continued expansion in the province helps strengthen our supply chain and ensures access to the equipment and technology needed to power Ontario’s future."
Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wesco is a FORTUNE 500™ company with approximately $24 billion in annual sales in 2025 and a leading provider of business-to-business distribution, logistics services, and supply chain solutions.
James Cameron, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Wesco Utility, said, “As the first purchaser of Hitachi’s 550 kV EconiQ Circuit Breaker, we fully support our customers' need for infrastructure that performs as reliably as existing solutions, while helping them meet their sustainability goals. The new EconiQ DTB 245 kV switchgear checks both boxes.”
In Europe, transmission system operator TenneT Germany, following a successful EconiQ installation in Oberhaid, has ordered Hitachi Energy's new EconiQ 420 kV 80 kA live tank circuit breaker. The solution supports TenneT Germany’s commitment to a lower-emission, highly reliable transmission network across Germany. Its higher fault-current rating gives the operator greater capacity to manage a grid carrying more renewable energy and cross-border power flows, while supporting the reliability of its more than 25,000 km network.
By adding 300 kV and a higher-current 420 kV rating to the EconiQ family, Hitachi Energy is giving customers more practical options to replace SF6 across a wider range of grid applications. The expanded portfolio helps close gaps where utilities have historically had no SF6-free alternatives, making it easier to align long-term grid investments with regulation, sustainability targets, and the energy transition.
