Zhiwai issues SF6-free switchgear guide for Singapore and Johor data centres

Zhiwai has published a procurement guide for data-centre operators in Singapore and Johor that maps SF₆-free medium-voltage switchgear to common campus circuit duties. The guide also flags reporting, voltage, service-continuity and monitoring issues that buyers need to confirm before choosing equipment.

Why it matters: - Data-centre operators in Singapore and Johor need switchgear that matches utility voltages, fault duties and maintenance needs without locking in avoidable emissions. - SF₆ leakage counts as a direct greenhouse gas emission, so equipment choice affects both plant design and corporate carbon reporting. - The guide is aimed at buyers comparing SF₆-free options across primary distribution, transformer-feeder and ring-main duties.

What happened: - Zhiwai released a guide on specifying SF₆-free medium-voltage switchgear for data-centre campuses in Singapore and Johor. - The guide maps published Schneider Electric, ABB and Siemens products to common circuit duties. - The document draws on manufacturer, utility and regulatory materials and does not include independent product testing. - Zhiwai identified the guide as a document-based procurement resource for engineers, buyers and network operators.

The details: - Singapore and Malaysia are phasing in ISSB-based climate disclosures. - Operators and tenants should settle ownership, control and lease arrangements before assigning SF₆ emissions in Scope 1 inventories. - Singapore carbon-tax rules classify SF₆ from electrical equipment as non-reckonable, but that treatment does not remove the gas from corporate inventories. - Buyers should use the CO₂-equivalent factors required by the applicable reporting framework and check group procurement rules alongside local requirements. - SP Group lists 22 kV and 6.6 kV distribution connections. - TNB lists 33 kV and 11 kV, with other voltages in parts of Johor. - Large campuses can receive high-voltage supply and step it down to the campus MV level, so primary MV switchgear is not always at the utility intake. - A 33 kV circuit generally needs 36 kV-class equipment. - A 24 kV range does not cover 33 kV duty. - Buyers should check voltage, current, short-time withstand current, duration, and breaker making and breaking duties against utility requirements and fault studies. - Schneider Electric lists GM AirSeT primary GIS up to 36 kV using Pure Air. - Schneider Electric lists GM AirSeT Performance up to 24 kV. - Schneider Electric's MCSeT 24 with EvoPacT HVX offers primary AIS with a withdrawable vacuum circuit breaker. - ABB's UniGear portfolio includes ZS1 up to 24 kV and ZS2 up to 36 kV for withdrawable-breaker architectures. - Buyers should specify the vacuum-breaker version of ZS2 for SF₆-free deployments because the range also includes SF₆ breaker options. - Siemens' NXPLUS C 24 blue GIS uses Clean Air and fixed-mounted vacuum breakers for primary distribution up to 24 kV. - Buyers need to confirm the exact voltage version, ratings, local availability and utility acceptance because insulation type alone does not determine maintenance access. - RM AirSeT, SafeRing Air and SafePlus Air, and 8DJH 24 blue GIS serve transformer-feeder and ring-main applications up to 24 kV with air-based insulation. - SM AirSeT provides modular secondary AIS up to 24 kV. - Campus designs should specify functional units, circuit-breaker or switch-fuse protection, cable interfaces and extension arrangements. - These 24 kV ranges should not be substituted for a 36 kV-rated feeder. - Designers should define which compartments must stay accessible during planned work and which circuits must remain energized. - Under IEC 62271-200, buyers should select the loss of service continuity category, such as LSC2A or LSC2B, and the partition class, PM or PI, to match those access conditions. - Those classifications do not establish campus redundancy or fault recovery. - Internal arc requirements should identify accessibility type, protected sides, current, duration and pressure-relief arrangements. - Buyers should request type-test evidence for the offered assembly and verify installation conditions such as room clearances and exhaust paths. - Supply resilience also depends on feeder architecture, protection coordination and transfer arrangements. - Connected MCSeT with EvoPacT configurations can include thermal, environmental and selected breaker-health monitoring. - GM AirSeT options can include tank-pressure and breaker or mechanism data. - Buyers should require a sensor and data-point schedule for every offer, including included functions, options and service subscriptions. - Buyers should confirm any partial-discharge capability for the actual configuration. - Communication protocols, integration with building-management or supervisory control systems, cybersecurity responsibilities and local service response also need review. - Monitoring is also available on conventional switchgear and should be specified separately from the SF₆-free requirement. - Zhiwai's guide says the specification should identify what can stay energized during planned work and which ratings each campus circuit needs. - The guide also says buyers should get the proposed configuration, supporting test evidence and a clear schedule of monitoring and service commitments before comparing prices.

Between the lines: - The guide is as much a procurement checklist as a product comparison, because voltage class, access category, monitoring scope and service terms can change the real-world fit of a switchgear package. - The emphasis on utility acceptance and local requirements signals that a technically suitable product still may not be deployable without project-specific confirmation. - Zhiwai is positioning document-based research as a way to narrow options before buyers engage vendors or run detailed design studies.

What's next: - Data-centre buyers in Singapore and Johor will need to validate utility voltage, fault level and protection data before choosing a switchgear family. - Operators will also need to align procurement with emissions accounting rules, service continuity targets and monitoring requirements. - Zhiwai says it will continue publishing neutral, document-based product comparisons and procurement guides for Asian power users.