Renza Berti*, Michele de Nigris*, Alberto Pigini**, P. Cardano**, E. Moal*** G. Rocchetti*** CIGRE 2008 Session 42 Parigi, 24-29 Agosto 2008 * CESI RICERCA ** AREVA PASSONI & VILLA, ITALY *** MAC LEAN POWER, FRANCE The use of non ceramic insulators for the construction of station equipment is gaining momentum thanks to their potential important advantages in terms of electrical and mechanical performances. A working group is active within CIGRE (i.e. WG A3.21) to deal with such type of sub-components and to analyze the implications of their wide use. This paper wishes to contribute to the working group target by analyzing aspects related to the specific application of non ceramic insulators to HV, EHV and UHV bushings. The key features of composite housing are illustrated examining advantages and disadvantages with respect to the ceramic housing solution in terms of electrical, mechanical and other exploitation aspects. Application of composite housing to bushings is then discussed with particular attention to design and testing. In particular a deep analysis is made to verify if the present Standards for composite housing and for bushings are sufficient to guarantee the performance of the full assembly when composite housing are adopted.