Gas-insulated substations (GIS)

Gas-insulated substations (GIS) are a type of electrical substation that utilize SF6 gas to insulate the conducting equipment. GIS technology is notable for its ability to occupy a very small area when compared with traditional substations, which equipment requires a large amount of physical space and open air. GIS facilities are also constructed indoors, making them ideal for areas such as dense urban environments, where safety and aesthetics are concerns, and/or where the amount of real estate available to build on is a limitation.

In October of 2024, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced that the state would be investing over $6.7 million to support the growth of Mitsubishi Electric Power Products (MEPPI) and to build an advanced switchgear factory here in Southwestern PA. One of products that Mitsubishi’s new manufacturing facility will produce is gas insulated circuit breakers.

This investment follows from the administration’s commitment to bolstering Pennsylvania’s already admirable energy sector, as set forth in the Commonwealth’s ten-year strategic plan for economic development spanning from 2024 to 2033. However, this expansion of GIS manufacturing in our home state is only part of a larger initiative to increase our capabilities nationwide.

The construction of new gas-based substations and the conversion or hybridization of existing substations to GIS can greatly help reduce carbon footprint, thus reducing our country’s impact on global climate change. As we march toward a more sustainable future with energy demand simultaneously surging higher than ever before, we anticipate seeing more and more GIS substations needing to be built across the United States.

While Pennsylvania and other states make efforts to invest in the production and deployment of more advanced technology to meet our nation’s ever-growing energy demands, we at Steelsmith are working hard to bring our team of experienced collaborators and steel building experts to the forefront of this movement. Our pre-engineered steel buildings are an ideal envelope solution for GIS substation enclosures. We partner with contractors and property developers to deliver incredibly cost-effective building envelope solutions for gas-insulated substations as well as other projects in the energy sector.

From the early planning stages of the project to its completed construction, Steelsmith is ready for the opportunity to deliver an extraordinary building experience.