ABB, a leading power and automation technology group, has won a prestigious 2012 Banksia Environmental Award in the Clean Technology – Harnessing Opportunities category.
The award is in recognition of ABB’s new cost effective sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) gas recycling technology that improves asset performance while reducing environmental impact.
The technology was developed by an Australian team and has been implemented at ABB’s gas recycling center at Moorebank, NSW Australia, with international applications to begin shortly.
The Banksia Environmental national Awards are regarded as the most prestigious environmental awards in Australia. The Banksia Environmental Foundation, established in 1989, is a national not-for-profit organisation that promotes environmental excellence and sustainability through its Awards program and other associated events.
Axel Kuhr country manager for ABB in Australia said: "For ABB, sustainability is about balancing economic success, environmental stewardship and social progress for the benefit of all its stakeholders."
In presenting ABB with this award, the judges commended ABB on a highly skilled technical solution to a problem material that provides environmental and economic benefits.
The purity of recycled SF6 gas using the newly developed technology is about 99.99 percent and is in accordance with technical grade IEC 60376 (the standard for new gas), which enables SF6 to be reused again and again in electrical equipment. Using recycled SF6 gas will help reduce carbon emissions and could result in a cost savings potential of up to 30 percent.
The technology closes the lifecycle of SF6 ensuring a minimal environmental footprint for this gas – a gas that is vital for the efficient, safe and reliable transmission of electricity.
