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Compare SF₆-free medium-voltage (MV) switchgear against the data center’s electrical duty, safety and operating requirements, verified evidence for the offered assembly, physical fit, lifecycle support, and the rules in the project’s jurisdiction. The label “SF₆-free” does not establish that a particular lineup is suitable: bidders should identify its insulation medium and interruption method, then show how the actual configuration meets the project’s requirements.
Start with the facility’s electrical duty
Issue every bidder the same project data sheet before comparing product families. A rating that appears adequate in a brochure may not cover the site’s fault level, utility requirements, environment, or planned expansion.
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Set common design inputs
- Nominal and highest system voltage, frequency, bus and feeder continuous current.
- Short-time withstand current and duration, peak withstand, and switching duty.
- Protection, metering, interlocking, and monitoring requirements.
- Feeder count and types, plus transformer, generator, and utility interfaces.
- Indoor or outdoor installation, ambient and other site conditions, cable interfaces, and room constraints.
- Future capacity, bus-section or other functional arrangements, and extension assumptions.
IEC 62271-200:2021+AMD1:2024 covers prefabricated AC metal-enclosed switchgear assemblies above 1 kV and up to and including 52 kV, for service frequencies up to and including 60 Hz and indoor or outdoor installation. That scope does not set the ratings a particular data center needs. Confirm the required values with the project electrical engineer and utility. See the IEC listing for IEC 62271-200 and its edition.
Find out what “SF₆-free” means in each offer
Ask bidders to state separately what provides insulation and what interrupts current. Request disclosure of any gases used in any compartment, as well as gas inventory and global-warming-potential information where applicable. These details distinguish designs that the broad “SF₆-free” label alone does not describe.
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One manufacturer example is ABB UniSec Air: ABB says it uses dry air for insulation and a vacuum interrupter for breaking, states GWP zero, and identifies data centers among UniSec’s applications. ABB describes the Air version as up to 24 kV and says it complies with IEC standards and Regulation (EU) 2024/573. These are manufacturer statements, not an independent comparison or a determination that a particular offered lineup fits a project. Check its exact ratings, configuration, test documentation, availability, and local support. ABB UniSec Air product information.
SF₆-free does not mean that all equipment uses dry air. CIGRE’s 2026 guide summary discusses alternatives including fluorinated gas mixtures and natural-origin gas mixtures used with gas or vacuum interrupters, in the broader GIS context. CIGRE describes the guide as complementing existing standards, including IEC 62271-4. Treat each offered medium and service approach on its own terms rather than assuming the alternatives are interchangeable. CIGRE guide information.
Verify evidence for the actual assembly and safety conditions
Request the standard editions and clauses used, conformity documents, type-test reports, rated values, limitations, and the boundary of the configurations those reports cover. Match the evidence to the offered functional units, ratings, and lineup configuration; do not infer a specific lineup’s test status from a family brochure.
Make internal-arc and access assumptions explicit
Ask which internal-arc classification applies, which sides and accessibility conditions were tested, and what room layout or exhaust arrangements the test assumptions require. Check the proposed layout against the facility’s operating procedures. Review interlocks, earthing, segregation, maintenance access, and safe isolation procedures with the project’s electrical and safety teams.
The IEC listing notes changes to internal-arc test provisions in the current consolidated edition. The public listing identifies scope and edition; it is not a substitute for the standard text or the equipment’s test reports. Check the IEC 62271-200 listing.
Apply EU rules to the project facts, not as a global rule
For switchgear relying on fluorinated greenhouse gases as insulating or breaking media, Article 13(9) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 establishes dates for putting specified MV primary or secondary distribution switchgear into operation:
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- From 1 January 2026: up to and including 24 kV.
- From 1 January 2030: above 24 kV through 52 kV.
The regulation includes limited, procurement-conditioned derogations, including specified circumstances during the first two years after applicable dates. Whether one applies depends on the regulation’s wording and the project’s facts. Confirm the jurisdiction, voltage, equipment scope, intended commissioning date, procurement record, and basis for any claimed derogation with qualified counsel or the competent authority. These dates are not a global rule and do not by themselves mean that installed equipment must be replaced. Read Regulation (EU) 2024/573, including Article 13.
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Compare operational fit, building interfaces, and lifecycle support
For a data center, assess how the switchgear fits fault isolation, maintenance, and expansion plans—not just its purchase specification. Compare each bidder’s proposed functional arrangement and operating procedures with the facility’s resilience strategy.
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- Resilience and maintenance: fault isolation strategy, bus sections or bypass arrangements, and whether planned maintenance can occur while other sections remain energized.
- Controls: protection and control interfaces, interlocks, monitoring, and integration with facility systems.
- Space and installation: dimensions, room clearances, cable entry, access, room conditions, and ventilation or heat implications. Check vendor drawings against the building design.
- Expansion: the extension method and what changes it requires to the installed lineup and room.
- Service: commissioning, training, spares, preventive-maintenance tasks, local service coverage, and committed response times.
- Medium-specific obligations: handling and end-of-life instructions for the actual insulating medium.
ABB says UniSec Air uses the same footprint and operating principles as UniSec. ABB also identifies SafeRing Air/SafePlus Air for many 6–24 kV switching applications and describes dry-air insulation, GWP zero, and family-level footprint and interface continuity. Treat these as manufacturer and product-family statements: verify the offered variant’s drawings, ratings, support, and service commitments for the project country. They do not establish independent reliability or prove that every use case is covered. ABB SF₆-free switchgear portfolio.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use a common bidder comparison matrix
Require each bidder to complete the same fields and attach evidence. “Not stated” is a gap to resolve, not a basis for assuming equivalence.
| Comparison axis | Request from each bidder | What it helps establish |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical duty | Voltage, current, short-time and peak withstand, switching duty, frequency, and derating limits. | Whether all offers address the same facility and utility conditions. |
| Compliance and testing | Applicable IEC edition, conformity documents, type-test reports, tested configuration scope, internal-arc class, and access assumptions. | Whether evidence relates to the offered assembly and proposed room arrangement. |
| Technology | Insulation medium, interruption method, gas inventory, and GWP where applicable. | What the “SF₆-free” claim means for the actual design and its environmental attributes. |
| Resilience and operation | Functional arrangement, protection and control interfaces, interlocks, isolation and maintenance method, and monitoring. | How the equipment fits outage planning and data-center operations. |
| Physical integration | Dimensions, clearances, access, cable interfaces, room conditions, and extension method. | Building, installation, and future-capacity constraints. |
| Lifecycle | Commissioning, training, preventive maintenance, spares, service coverage, and end-of-life instructions. | Operational obligations beyond the purchase specification. |
| Regulatory position | Jurisdiction, voltage, intended commissioning date, gas use, procurement record, and basis for any claimed exception. | Whether the rules applicable to the project have been assessed against its facts. |
Turn the comparison into an RFI and award decision
- Issue the common duty schedule. Provide the electrical ratings, operating interfaces, site conditions, room constraints, and expansion assumptions to every bidder.
- Require a configuration-specific response. Ask each bidder to identify the offered lineup and functional units, insulation and interruption media, ratings, limitations, and applicable standards.
- Collect supporting documents. Request conformity documentation, relevant type-test reports, internal-arc and access assumptions, drawings, maintenance tasks, and service commitments.
- Record exceptions and unknowns. Mark each field as compliant, an exception requiring engineering review, or not stated. Ask the bidder to resolve gaps in writing rather than treating a family-level claim as proof.
- Review as a project team. Have electrical engineering, operations, facilities, safety, procurement, and—where applicable—qualified regulatory counsel assess the evidence and trade-offs before award.
This framework is for evaluating bids, not a design specification. It cannot set a site’s current, fault levels, redundancy, service-continuity target, internal-arc class, footprint, maintenance interval, reliability expectation, or lifecycle cost. Those determinations require project data and the actual bid documents.
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