Insights / F-Gas guide

SF6 Switchgear and the F-Gas Regulation: The Guide

Regulation (EU) 2024/573 takes fluorinated gases out of new switchgear band by band: putting such switchgear into operation is prohibited from 1 January 2026 up to and including 24 kV, and from 1 January 2032 above 145 kV or above 50 kA.

The prohibition is on putting switchgear into operation, not on making, selling or exporting it. In the medium voltage bands it carries no GWP threshold, so fluoroketone and fluoronitrile designs are caught as squarely as SF6. Switchgear already installed stays subject to leak checks and, from 1 January 2035, may be topped up only with reclaimed or recycled SF6.

The Ban Dates by Voltage

SF6 Switchgear Ban Dates by Voltage: 2026, 2028, 2030 and 2032

From when can SF6 switchgear no longer be put into operation in the EU, by voltage?

Article 13(9) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 prohibits putting into operation switchgear that uses fluorinated greenhouse gases in its insulating or breaking medium: from 1 January 2026 up to and including 24 kV; from 1 January 2030 above 24 kV up to and including 52 kV; from 1 January 2028 above 52 kV up to and including 145 kV and up to 50 kA; from 1 January 2032 above 145 kV or above 50 kA.

• Article 13(9)(a): 1 January 2026: medium voltage switchgear for primary and secondary distribution up to and including 24 kV. No GWP threshold.
• Article 13(9)(b): 1 January 2030: medium voltage above 24 kV up to and including 52 kV. No GWP threshold.
• Article 13(9)(c): 1 January 2028: high voltage above 52 kV up to and including 145 kV and up to 50 kA, gases with a GWP of 1 or more.
• Article 13(9)(d): 1 January 2032: high voltage above 145 kV or above 50 kA, gases with a GWP of 1 or more.
• Article 13(11): A medium with a GWP below 1 000 is still allowed where a tender for F-gas-free switchgear drew no bids, or, in the first two years after a band's date, bids from only one manufacturer.

Does the Medium Voltage Ban Also Catch Fluoroketone and Fluoronitrile Switchgear?

Can we avoid the 2026 medium voltage ban by switching to a C5 fluoroketone with a GWP below 1?

No. The medium voltage bands of Article 13(9)(a) and (b) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 carry no GWP threshold: they cover switchgear using any fluorinated greenhouse gas, and Article 2(a) brings in the gases of Annexes I to III. The C5 fluoroketone (Annex III, GWP 0,29) and heptafluoroisobutyronitrile (Annex I, GWP 2 750) are caught as squarely as SF6 (GWP 24 300). Only the high voltage bands are limited to a GWP of 1 or more.

• Article 13(9)(a) and (b): No GWP threshold up to and including 52 kV.
• Annex III: The C5 fluoroketone is a fluorinated greenhouse gas under the Regulation, with a GWP of 0,29.
• Article 13(9)(c) and (d): Above 52 kV only gases with a GWP of 1 or more are caught.

Is Selling or Exporting SF6 Switchgear Banned? Who the F-Gas Prohibition Binds

Is it illegal to make, sell or export SF6 switchgear to EU customers from 2026?

No. Article 13(9) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 prohibits putting switchgear into operation, not making, selling, importing or exporting it. Annex IV, which carries the placing on the market prohibitions of Article 11(1), has no entry for electrical switchgear. The prohibition binds the operator who puts the switchgear into operation in the EU, by voltage band.

• Article 13(9): A prohibition on putting into operation.
• Annex IV: No entry for electrical switchgear.
• Article 12(3) and (16): The maker's duties include the label and the same information in the instruction manual.

Switchgear Already in Operation

SF6 Switchgear Leak Checks: The 6 kg Exemption and How Often to Check

Does SF6 switchgear need periodic leak checks, and how often?

Article 5(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 requires leak checks on equipment with 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or more, but switchgear is exempt where it has a tested leakage rate below 0,1 percent a year and is labelled so, or a pressure or density monitor with an automatic alert, or less than 6 kg of gas. Otherwise Article 5(6) sets the frequency: every 12 months below 50 t CO2 equivalent, every 6 months from 50 to 500 t, every 3 months from 500 t (24, 12 and 6 months with a leakage detection system). One kilogram of SF6 is 24,3 t CO2 equivalent (GWP 24 300).

• Article 5(1): The three switchgear conditions that remove the leak-check duty.
• Article 5(6): The check frequency by CO2 equivalent.
• Annex I: SF6 has a GWP of 24 300: 4 kg is 97,2 t CO2 equivalent, 30 kg is 729 t.
• Article 7: Records of checks are kept for at least five years.

Topping Up SF6 Switchgear After 2035

Can existing switchgear still be topped up with SF6 after 2035?

Yes, but only with reclaimed or recycled SF6. From 1 January 2035, Article 13(7) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 prohibits using SF6 for the maintenance or servicing of switchgear unless it is reclaimed or recycled, except where that gas cannot be used on technical grounds or is not available in an emergency repair, with the justification given to the authority on request. Until then virgin SF6 may still be used for servicing.

• Article 13(7): From 1 January 2035, servicing only with reclaimed or recycled SF6, with narrow exceptions.
• Article 13(18): Parts may be installed to repair existing switchgear if the gas type does not change to a higher GWP and the gas amount does not increase.

Penalties

F-Gas Regulation Penalties: What Article 31 Requires of Member States

What are the penalties for breaching the F-gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573?

The penalties are set by each Member State, not by the Regulation (Article 31(1)); Member States had to notify their rules before 1 January 2026. They must include fines (or equally effective criminal penalties), confiscation of illegally obtained goods and temporary bans for serious or repeated infringements (Article 31(3)). For unlawful production, import, export, placing on the market or use, the maximum fine must be at least five times the market value of the gases or equipment concerned, and at least eight times for a repeat within five years (Article 31(4)).

• Article 31(1): Member States lay down the penalties and notify them to the Commission before 1 January 2026.
• Article 31(3): Administrative fines, confiscation, and temporary prohibitions for serious or repeated infringements.
• Article 31(4): Maximum fine at least five times the market value; at least eight times for a repeat within five years.
• Article 31(5): An undertaking exceeding its HFC quota has 200 percent of the excess deducted from its next allocation.

Last checked against the act text on 2026-10-20. For information only, not legal advice.