Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management and automation, is driving the transition to sustainable medium-voltage solutions across East Africa with its award-winning  SM AirSeT pure-air switchgear. Over the past year, the region has seen strong uptake of this SF₆-free technology, as utilities, commercial buildings, industrial facilities, and infrastructure projects embrace solutions that enhance reliability while advancing decarbonization and regulatory compliance.

SM AirSeT, part of Schneider Electric’s AirSeT family, uses pure air instead of sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆). a greenhouse gas (GHG) with 24,300 times the global warming potential of CO₂. The technology offers an important option to organisations transitioning to low-carbon electrical networks without compromising safety or performance.

The AirSeT range was also recently recognised by the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders as a champion in the Scope 3 Downstream Solutions – Sustainable Designcategory. This global recognition highlights the AirSeT portfolio’s impact in helping organisations reduce emissions at scale across the lifecycle of electrical infrastructure.

“The strong adoption of SM AirSeT across East Africa reflects the region’s commitment to sustainable growth,” says Symphrose Ochieng, Infrastructure Segment & Power Systems Business Leader at Schneider Electric East Africa. 

“From utilities expanding medium-voltage networks to data centres powering the digital economy, and from manufacturing plants to critical infrastructure like airports and seaports, customers are looking for solutions that combine reliability, safety, and sustainability. SM AirSeT delivers on all fronts, offering a future-ready, SF₆-free technology that helps businesses and public services meet rising energy demand while accelerating their decarbonization journey.”

Supporting growth sectors

Across East Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Ethiopia, the need for more electrification is accelerating grid modernisation, decarbonisation, industrialisation, and digitalisation efforts. 

These trends are driving strong demand for robust, sustainable medium-voltage (MV) distribution solutions. Schneider Electric’s SM AirSeT pure-air switchgear is engineered to support these priorities across multiple high-impact sectors, eliminating SF₆ and enabling a greener energy transition.

Utilities and Secondary Distribution Networks

SM AirSeT delivers a sustainable, regulation-proof solution for utilities seeking to modernise their MV networks. By replacing SF₆ with pure air, it offers a future-ready alternative that aligns seamlessly with global and regional climate commitments, ensuring compliance as environmental regulations tighten. 

Designed to support ambitious electrification goals, SM AirSeT is ideal for urban network extensions, rural electrification programmes and infrastructure upgrades in rapidly growing economies. It empowers utilities to expand their grids responsibly while helping governments achieve universal energy access and decarbonisation objectives all without compromising reliability or operational efficiency.

Commercial Buildings and Data Centres

SM AirSeT delivers a safe, reliable medium-voltage distribution for high-availability environments such as data centres, hospitals, universities, real estate developments, and logistics hubs. 

These facilities are the backbone of the region’s digital economy, where uninterrupted power is non-negotiable. With its digital-ready design, SM AirSeT goes beyond traditional switchgear, enabling smart monitoring, predictive maintenance, and remote diagnostics. This advanced connectivity minimizes downtime, optimizes energy efficiency, and ensures operational resilience, giving businesses the confidence to scale sustainably in a fast-evolving market.

Industrial Facilities and Manufacturing

SM AirSeT is engineered to meet the demands of East Africa’s rapidly expanding industrial base, serving sectors such as food and beverage, cement, textiles, and light manufacturing. 

These industries require uncompromising reliability and safety to keep mission-critical processes running smoothly. By eliminating SF₆ and leveraging pure-air technology, SM AirSeT delivers high operational continuity while supporting sustainability goals. 

Its robust design ensures long-term performance in challenging environments, helping manufacturers boost productivity, reduce environmental impact, and stay competitive in a market that values both efficiency and responsibility.

Infrastructure and Transport

As East Africa accelerates investments in transformative infrastructure, from airports and seaports to rail systems, the need for operational reliability and sustainability has never been greater. SM AirSeT offers a future-ready solution that enables electrification and seamless integration of renewable energy across these critical assets. 

By replacing SF₆ with pure air, it ensures compliance with stringent environmental standards while delivering uninterrupted power for complex, high-demand systems. Whether supporting a modern airport or a regional transport hub, and seaports, SM AirSeT empowers infrastructure operators to provide safe, efficient, and sustainable services that fuel economic growth and strengthen connectivity across the region.

While SM AirSeT sets a new benchmark for environmental responsibility and ease of deployment, it also delivers exceptional technical performance for diverse applications. Its modular, compact design provides flexibility for installations in space-constrained environments, while native digital capabilities enable real-time monitoring, smart grid integration, and condition-based maintenance. 

Built with high safety performance and arc-resistant design, SM AirSeT leverages decades of Schneider Electric’s medium-voltage expertise. Plus, compatibility with familiar form factors, accessories, and operating procedures ensures quick adoption with minimal retraining, making it a future-ready solution without compromise.

Schneider Electric’s AirSeT range, including SM AirSeT, has already helped customers avoid 1.7 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions globally as of June 2025, in impact validated by third-party auditors through the Schneider Sustainability Impact framework.

Phasing out SF₆ is not just a technical achievement; it represents a major step in reducing Scope 3 emissions across the electrical distribution industry” adds Ochieng. “For our customers across East Africa, this means they can deploy world-class medium MV equipment that aligns with global climate commitments and emerging regulatory frameworks”.