#TECP2611227ACertification rules for personnel working on fixed electrical switchgear containing SF6 or C4FN in France
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This order sets the approval process for organizations that want to certify people who install, maintain, repair, decommission, or recover fluorinated greenhouse gases from fixed electrical switchgear. It covers SF6 and C4FN, gases used in electrical equipment with climate impact. Certification bodies must apply to the environment minister, show their technical and staffing capacity, prove independence, keep records, handle complaints, and file an annual activity report by 31 March. For workers, certificates are issued after a skills assessment with at least one hour of theory and one and a half hours of practical testing for each gas covered. Certificates last five years. People who already hold a certificate under the older EU 2015/2066 system must complete a refresher course by 12 March 2029 or their old certificate will no longer be valid and they will need to retake the exam. The 2011 French order for high-voltage switchgear certification is repealed.
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Key Changes
- Creates a French approval process for bodies that certify personnel working on fixed electrical switchgear containing SF6 or C4FN.
- Sets certificate rules: separate assessment by gas, minimum exam times, registration requirements, and a five-year validity period.
- Requires holders of older EU 2015/2066 certificates to complete a refresher course by 12 March 2029 or retake the exam.
Obligations
What this law requires
Any organization seeking approval to issue personnel certificates for installation, maintenance, repair, decommissioning, or recovery of SF6 or C4FN from fixed electrical switchgear must apply to the French Minister responsible for the environment and submit a dossier containing its identity and legal details, relevant activities, technical/organizational/human resources, examiner certificates, certification procedures, data communication and archiving procedures, complaint-handling procedures, independence and impartiality measures, and proposed certification fees with justification.
An approved certification body must inform the Minister responsible for the environment within one week of any change in its situation that modifies one or more elements of its approval application dossier.
An approved certification body must submit an annual activity report to the Minister responsible for the environment covering the previous year, including certificate application statistics, candidate and training statistics, assessment session numbers, lists of certificates issued/refused/renewed/withdrawn/suspended with reasons where applicable, complaints and outcomes, and an updated list of examiners and their competencies.
If an approved certification body wishes to renew its approval, it must submit a renewal application to the Minister responsible for the environment containing the application dossier elements required for initial approval and an assessment of the body's activities.
An approved certification body may issue a personnel certificate only to a natural person who has passed a skills assessment organized under Annex I of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/627; a separate assessment must be organized for each covered gas, SF6 and/or C4FN, with at least one hour of theoretical examination and at least one and a half hours of practical examination per candidate.