SWITZERLAND - The Swiss energy supply company Groupe E has completed the Planchamps transformer station renewal project in the Boudry municipality of the Neuchâtel canton, replacing SF6 gas with the new g3 gas.

The Planchamps transformer station located in the municipality of Boudry (NE) is now fully operational after a renovation of several years. Groupe E is among the first energy distributors in Europe to adopt new technology that replaces SF6 gas with the new g3 gas, the company said in a press release.

23 million francs ($24.8 million) have been invested in the project.

The Planchamps substation is one of the largest operated by Groupe E and one of the main nodes of the Neuchâtel electricity network. Built in 1967, the substation required complete renovation, which was carried out in stages.  The first works, which began in 2015, have just been completed.

A new building was first constructed to house various equipment, including two new 60/17 kV transformers, 60 kV and 17 kV distribution equipment and the control-command installations. The exterior part dedicated to the 125 kV installation was renovated in a second stage. At the same time, 60 kV lines which crossed the village of Bôle were buried. Photovoltaic panels have also been placed on the roof of the building. Twenty-three million francs were invested for all the work.

This renovation should improve the reliability of the electricity network in the canton of Neuchâtel.

Groupe E provides the electricity supply in the canton, distributing 471 GWh annually to its 33,000 customers. Over the past five years, Groupe E has invested 50 million francs ($53.9 million) in the Neuchâtel electricity network and is planning further major investments, including the construction of a new operations center, the company said in a press release.

Source: Groupe E