A single pound of SF6 (V) heats the planet as much as 25,200 pounds of CO2 and remains in the atmosphere for 3,200 years. SF6 is one of several long-lived, synthetic, fluorine-containing chemicals released by heavy industry, chemical manufacturers, semiconductor-makers and electric utilities. In 2020, Duke Energy, provider of electricity in six states, leaked nearly 11 metric tons of SF6 into the atmosphere from its electric substations in North and South Carolina alone, more than any other utility in the U.S. The emissions equaled the annual greenhouse gas emissions of more than 59,000 automobiles. While other utilities have participated for decades in a voluntary program with the EPA to reduce SF6 emissions to next to nothing, Duke Energy hasn’t.
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