Zhiwai Reviews SF₆ and F-Gas Requirements for MV Switchgear Buyers in Singapore and Malaysia

Guide distinguishes local emissions obligations from overseas equipment restrictions for MV switchgear procurement and lifecycle planning.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE, October 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Zhiwai examines how regulation of SF₆ and other fluorinated greenhouse gases affects medium-voltage (MV) switchgear procurement in Singapore and Malaysia. EU and US state equipment restrictions do not themselves govern installations in these countries. Local buyers need to establish their emissions-reporting obligations and project requirements, then assess how overseas developments may affect product availability and corporate specifications. This review uses regulatory texts, official guidance and published statements available on October 26, 2026. It is not legal advice.

Start with local reporting obligations. In Singapore, NEA’s measurement and reporting guidance classifies SF₆ emitted during the manufacture, installation, use or disposal of electrical equipment as non-reckonable under the Carbon Pricing Act. These emissions are excluded from carbon-tax and registration-threshold calculations, but remain reportable by facilities covered by the applicable reporting requirements. A separate corporate obligation also matters: ACRA requires all SGX-listed companies to report Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from FY2025. Switchgear leakage within the reporting entity’s ownership or control boundary therefore needs consideration as a direct-emissions source.

Malaysia’s National Sustainability Reporting Framework introduces ISSB-based reporting in phases: large Main Market issuers from 2025, other Main Market issuers from 2026, and ACE Market issuers and qualifying large non-listed companies from 2027, subject to applicable reliefs. These requirements make equipment emissions data relevant to covered operators. Carbon taxation is a separate policy track. On October 5, 2026, the minister responsible for environmental sustainability said implementation of the planned national carbon tax had been deferred. Buyers should not treat that proposal as an existing charge on SF₆ switchgear leakage.

Why overseas restrictions still matter. Equipment selected today needs support throughout its operating life. Buyers should therefore assess whether manufacturers’ product plans, spare-parts provision and group procurement policies will affect the proposed installation. Schneider Electric’s 2025 E.ON agreement, covering GM AirSeT and RM AirSeT, provides an example of SF₆-free supply commitments linked to Europe’s regulatory transition. A multinational may also adopt a common gas specification across its sites; where this applies, it should be identified as a corporate or contractual requirement.

The overseas requirements are not all equivalent. SF₆ is one fluorinated greenhouse gas, while the EU F-gas Regulation covers others too. Article 13(9) restricts putting into operation MV switchgear for primary and secondary distribution using fluorinated greenhouse gases in its insulating or breaking medium: from January 1, 2026, up to and including 24 kV, and January 1, 2030, above 24 kV up to and including 52 kV, subject to defined derogations. These MV provisions contain no global warming potential (GWP) threshold, so an SF₆-free label or a low-GWP mixture does not by itself establish compliance.

California’s switchgear regulation, under section 95352, and New York’s Part 495 apply SF₆-specific equipment acquisition restrictions. For aboveground equipment below 38 kV, the respective starting dates are January 1, 2025, and January 1, 2027, with exemptions and transition provisions. Other equipment categories have different dates. These state-specific acquisition milestones should not be treated as equivalent to the EU’s putting-into-operation milestone or copied into a Singapore or Malaysia tender as local statutory deadlines.

Treat future tightening as a planning scenario. This review did not identify an equivalent nationwide, voltage-based MV switchgear phase-out timetable for Singapore or Malaysia. Overseas action alone does not establish that either country will adopt the same rules or dates. Local procurement is nevertheless evolving: TNB describes planned SF₆-free RMU and gas-free hybrid GIS pilots to assess performance under Malaysian operating conditions. This supports monitoring utility specifications and technology acceptance alongside formal legislation.

Translate the distinction into the tender. Identify whether each condition comes from local law, utility approval or corporate policy. If fluorinated gases are to be excluded, state that requirement for both insulation and current interruption. Request the media and constituents, applicable GWP basis, nameplate gas mass, leakage information and servicing and recovery instructions. Operating records should capture gas additions, recovery and disposal, using the relevant reporting framework’s calculation method. Nameplate gas capacity alone is not an annual emissions figure.

The guide states: “Start with the requirements that apply to the local project. Then use overseas developments to assess supply and lifecycle risks, and make any additional gas restrictions explicit in the specification.”

About Zhiwai

Zhiwai is an electrical-industry research and assessment organization serving engineers, buyers and network operators in Asia. It publishes neutral, document-based product comparisons and procurement guides using manufacturer specifications, regulatory texts, environmental declarations, utility requirements and documented project announcements, without independent laboratory testing.

Selina Huang
Zhiwai
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