Pacific Islands chart a green course with SF6-free technology
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- Pacific
Country
- France
Product
- EcoStruxure for Electricity Companies
- AirSeT MV switchgear
- Minera transformer
- Easergy T300 remote terminal unit
- Easergy TH110 wireless thermal sensors
Tech Stack
- IoT-enabled system architecture
- ZigBee communication
- Remote monitoring
Implementation Scale
- Pilot projects
Impact Metrics
- Environmental Impact Reduction
- Digital Expertise
- Customer Satisfaction
Technology Category
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Connectivity Platforms
Applicable Industries
- Utilities
Applicable Functions
- Maintenance
- Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases
- Remote Asset Management
- Energy Management System
- Predictive Maintenance
Services
- System Integration
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
About The Customer
EEC Engie has been providing energy to the Caledonian territory for over 90 years, including to several municipalities in the Pacific islands of New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands. The electrical distribution operator, a subsidy of the French multinational electric utility Engie Group, has more than 65,000 customers, from private customers, SMEs, and SMIs, to industrial companies. The Engie Group has long been committed to promoting sustainable development and offering zero-carbon integrated solutions. Island nations are one of the first areas to be affected by climate change. This makes reducing the use of traditional CO2-emitting energy sources and focusing on local, renewable energy sources particularly important for helping to improve the island’s selfsufficiency while also meeting local demand.
The Challenge
EEC Engie, an electric distribution utility based in New Caledonia, has a zero-carbon strategy. The company wants to remove the SF6 gas from its network. The remote island location presents difficult and unique challenges for EEC Engie. New Caledonia is halfway around the world from Engie’s French operations base. This means that EEC Engie not only needs to manage the purchasing part of its business, but also logistics and the complexity of transportation -- all of which must be taken into account in order to be efficient. Recycling SF6 is also complicated in New Caledonia because the island does not currently have channels for reprocessing SF6. The medium has been used in electrical equipment for decades. While it is very effective for insulating and breaking, it is also harmful to the environment because it is a potent greenhouse gas.
The Solution
The electrical distribution operator partnered with Schneider Electric to deploy an SF6-free sustainable solution that delivers improved reliability. The answer was an innovative, green, and smart substation: new air-insulated AirSeT MV switchgear and the new connected Minera transformer that uses biodegradable vegetable oil -- both connected to the Easergy T300 remote terminal unit. Schneider Electric offered a more ecological and intelligent substation. Located in Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia, the green EcoStruxure-ready substation uses innovative new SF6-free MV switchgear technology combined with a connected new generation transformer. The equipment is capable of exchanging data with EEC Engie’s energy management control system, an essential element for deploying the smart grid – all with a minimal ecological footprint.
Operational Impact
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