ZÃœRICH, SWITZERLAND & KOKSTAD, NORWAY -- According to BKK Nett, the idea is to rebuild their substations to meet the growing electricity demand from businesses and households.

Hitachi Energy have announced that they have signed a frame agreement with Norway's major distribution grid company, BKK Nett to install their circuit breakers in more than 10 substations in the western region. This is the very first frame agreement for Hitachi Energy, globally for involving their new breaker technology.

Norway has recently published plans to cut at least 50% of its greenhouse gases by 2030 and achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050.  As a part of this endeavour, the country has adopting eco-efficient technologies that will help them accelerate the journey towards carbon-neutrality.

According to Hitachi Energy, the first project of the agreement is the work on Askøy substation, located on an island west of the city of Bergen, Norway. According to BKK Nett, the idea is to rebuild the substation to meet the growing electricity demand from businesses and households.

"This frame agreement with BKK Nett marks an important milestone as the very first for our new breaker technology. We are committed to work with our customers to reduce their carbon footprint and accelerate the energy transition", said Markus Heimbach, Managing Director of the High Voltage Products business at Hitachi Energy. "We are pleased to be partnering with BKK Nett in the quest towards achieving carbon neutrality. "

Atle Isaksen, Head of Grid Development at BKK Nett said further "We are excited to join forces with Hitachi Energy to bring new and innovative technology that reinforces our strategy for sustainable operations. With such an eco-efficient technology, we are able to build future-proof substations with lower environmental impact."

The new circuit breaker uses carbon dioxide (CO₂) and oxygen (O₂) as insulation gas mixture instead of the conventional sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆), a greenhouse gas which has been the norm for decades due to its superior insulation and switching properties.

Source: Hitachi Energy