Hitachi Energy contributes to Scotland’s sustainability targets with game-changing EconiQ™ technology

Hitachi Energy will supply SP Energy Networks with pioneering EconiQ^TM gas-insulated lines (GIL) to support the country’s sustainable energy targets.

Scotland has ambitious goals to decarbonize its energy system and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045. In its journey towards carbon-neutrality, SP Energy Networks is upgrading the aging energy infrastructure and bringing in advanced technologies to better manage energy flow in the grid.

One such project is the Windyhill 275-kilovolt (kV) substation located northwest of Glasgow. Built in the1960s, the air-insulated substation plays a significant role in the SP Energy Networks transmission network and is now being modernized as part of its RIIO-T2¹ business plan. It is part of the critical infrastructure node for emergency network recovery.

Hitachi Energy will deliver 1,500 meters of eco-efficient EconiQ^TM GIL which contains no sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆), instead making use of an alternative insulation gas mixture which essentially eliminates the CO₂ equivalent emissions throughout the total lifecycle. This avoids the addition of over 3,000 kg of SF₆, the equivalent of removing CO₂ emissions from around 7,500² passenger vehicles from the road in a year. The Windyhill substation refurbishment is expected to be completed in 2025.

"We are honored to be SP Energy Networks’ partner of choice in the acceleration of Scotland’s energy transition," said Markus Heimbach, Managing Director, High Voltage Products at Hitachi Energy. “Following more than two decades of intensive R&D, we have been deploying SF₆-free high-voltage technologies and helping our customers to reduce their carbon footprint.”

“We’re continuously evolving our operations and looking for ways to make our network more environmentally sustainable. The introduction of this greener technology developed by Hitachi Energy is a major step forward in our push towards achieving Net Zero emissions in the future”, said Pearse Murray, SP Transmission Director at SP Energy Networks. “The eyes of the world are on Glasgow just now with the COP26 climate change conference taking place in the city. Introducing this new technology will have a legacy long beyond COP26 and it cements our position leading the way towards sustainable substations. We’re proud of our innovative approach to delivering a greener future for our customers.”

In addition to the EconiQ ^TM solution, Hitachi Energy will also deliver 15 bays of its highly reliable and flexible 300 kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS). A technology pioneered by Hitachi Energy which can be installed in confined spaces and can operate in extreme environmental conditions.

Recently, Hitachi Energy announced the acceleration of its development of eco-efficient solutions and outlined its extensive EconiQ roadmap of switchgear in various voltage levels, which enables customers and industry to reduce carbon footprint and rapidly transition to eco-efficient solutions.

EconiQ ^TM is Hitachi Energy’s eco-efficient portfolio for sustainability, where products, services and solutions are proven to deliver exceptional environmental performance. Hitachi Energy has placed sustainability at the heart of its Purpose and is advancing a sustainable energy future.

¹ - The RIIO-T2 network price control sets out what the UK gas and electricity transmission network companies are expected to deliver for energy consumers from 2021-2026.

² - Based on the assumption that a passenger vehicle emits 19 kg CO₂ equivalent per 100 km and drives 10,000 km per year.