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In 2004, APS joined the EPA’s SF6 Emission Reduction Partnership for Electric Power Systems. This is a voluntary, collaborative effort between EPA and the electric power industry to identify and implement cost-effective solutions to reduce sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) emissions. SF6 is a highly potent greenhouse gas used for insulation and current interruption in electric transmission and distribution equipment. As part of this partnership, APS is taking voluntary efforts to significantly reduce SF6 emissions. APS' goal in the SF6 partnership is to reduce equipment leak rate from 18.38 percent in the base year of 2001, down to 5 percent by the end of 2008. APS implemented a number of industry-leading steps to reduce the leak rate, including:
- Utilizing SF6 recycling gas carts to minimize atmospheric releases by reclaiming and purifying the SF6, which was placed back into the equipment after service or repair activities
- Use of a laser-imaging camera to effectively identify SF6 leaks and confirm repairs
- Development of an inventory of our top priority SF6 containing equipment for planning the maintenance, repair and replacement activities of SF6 breakers
By the end of 2006, APS had reduced equipment leak rate from 18.38 percent down to 4.9%, beating our target date by 2 years. We will continue to work on voluntarily reducing our emissions even further. Our results in 2006 resulted in eliminated an estimated 19,624 pounds of SF6 emissions in 2006 compared to our baseline year of 2001. Based on the EPA's greenhouse gas equivalencies, this reduction of SF6 is equivalent to a reduction of 256,936 tons of carbon dioxide.
SF6 Leak Rate Base on EPA Calculations
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