US consumption and supplies of sulphur hexafluoride reported under the greenhouse gas reporting program

Abstract

Under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) receives reports of production, imports and exports of SF6 in bulk and inside of electrical equipment. EPA also receives reports of SF6 emissions, consumption and/or related parameters from users of SF6, including manufacturers and users of electrical transmission and distribution equipment, semiconductor manufacturers, and magnesium producers and processers. Based on these reports, EPA estimates the consumption of SF6 by each industry, including facilities that do not report to the GHGRP. In this paper, we compare the consumption estimated based on reports from SF6 suppliers (producers, importers and exporters) to the consumption estimated based on reports from SF6 users, discussing differences and possible reasons for them. We find that in the one year studied, 2012, consumption based on reports from users accounted for 59% of the consumption based on reports from suppliers. We conclude that the uncertainties associated with the consumption estimates are not likely to explain this difference, and that there may be significant uses of SF6 in the US other than manufacturing and use of electrical equipment, semiconductor manufacturing, and magnesium production and processing.