SACRAMENTO – Southern California Edison (SCE) has paid penalties of $350,000 after admitting it failed for three years to accurately report on its storage and use of sulfur hexafluoride. The California Air Resources Board today announced a settlement with SCE imposing those penalties.

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) is a greenhouse gas (GHG) that can warm the atmosphere about 23,000 times more than the most common greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. SF₆ is an insulator and circuit breaker used in electrical switchgear equipment. When it escapes, it can linger in the atmosphere for more than 3,000 years.

“SF₆ is the most damaging greenhouse gas on earth – over 20,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide, so it must be handled and stored with extreme care,” said CARB Executive Officer Richard W. Corey. “Southern California Edison’s failures to accurately and completely report its handling of this material is the kind of violation that can make tracking the chemical’s impact much more difficult, and can set back California’s overall efforts to curb the worst impacts of climate change.”

The data issues arose from poor documentation of many pieces of small equipment, insufficient quality assurance and control processes, inadequate staff training, and misunderstanding of regulatory terms. Reporting violations occurred in several years consisting of multiple reports.

SCE agreed to pay a total of $350,000 in civil penalties for three reporting years SCE has fully cooperated with CARB in this matter. As a preventative effort, SCE has implemented new procedures to validate reporting requirements and to identify and address issues in advance of submitting annual reports.

Background

California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32) required reduction of GHGs back to 1990 levels by 2020. The state achieved that target in 2016. In 2010, CARB approved the Regulation for Reducing Sulfur Hexafluoride Emissions from Gas Insulated Switchgear, which sets a limit on the amount of SF₆ emitted by any company, and the state has required annual reporting on SF₆ since 2012.

SF₆ is considered a super pollutant because of its extremely high global warming potential. Super pollutants play a growing role in California’s plans to reach the subsequent SB 32 target of GHG emissions reductions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.

Scientists estimate that super pollutants such as SF₆, methane, hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants and black carbon are responsible for up to 40 percent of earth’s global warming. As a result, California has approved, or is developing regulations to reduce emissions of all these chemicals and compounds. The 2022 update to the Climate Scoping Plan includes further potential measures to curb these emissions.

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