26.06.2024
Source: Energie & Management Powernews
The VDE Network Technology/Network Operation Forum (VDE FNN) has developed an implementation guide for ecological route management.
Framework conditions, fields of action, measures - these are the topics addressed by the VDE FNN in its 31-page document. In addition to definitions, such as the distinction between ecological and conventional route management, the implementation guide contains a series of explanations and notes on ecological route management - ÖTM for short - for existing routes. However, forward-looking route maintenance for new construction or replacement construction projects and its consideration in the corresponding approval procedures is also considered.
The authors of the guide point out that, however, "due to the lack of land access, the lack of forecasting certainty with regard to the vegetation that will develop later in operation and the forestry compensation that may be required anyway, ÖTM can only be introduced into approval procedures if it is specified as a compensation measure in the approval documents in terms of area and contract". They also state: "A commitment to a general, permanent, area-wide ÖTM during the entire operating period, which results from the approval, is not possible in view of the current legal framework." This means that ÖTM cannot be established as a standard measure in approval procedures.
The authors point out that, in addition to the grid operators themselves, third parties such as nature conservation associations or interested land owners can also take ecological measures - either on their own initiative or with public funding.
As VDE FNN emphasizes in a press release, the implementation aid is primarily concerned with the compatibility of operational safety and environmental protection. The two should not be mutually exclusive. In order to guarantee line and operational safety at all times, pylons and conductor cables must remain accessible. This is the only way that maintenance work can be carried out without additional effort and line maintenance can be carried out, for example to avoid power outages caused by fallen trees. If an accident does occur, unhindered access must be guaranteed.
"Power lines always mean cuts to the environment. At the same time, power lines offer opportunities for biodiversity," explains Heike Kerber. According to the Managing Director of VDE FNN, ecological route management promotes the establishment of diverse species, protects the soil and beneficial organisms and ensures the operational safety of the lines. For the broad acceptance and application of ecological route management by network operators, successful measures, such as the establishment of rare species, should not hinder future network operation.
The implementation guide, for which network operators, the nature conservation association Nabu and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation have worked together, lists a number of case studies to show how network operators have made species-rich route biotopes possible. According to FNN, the careful removal of woody plants has already created habitats for light and warmth-loving species. And the example of a herd of goats shows how animals can take over the maintenance of the line vegetation even on a route that is several kilometers long.
The 31-page implementation guide "Ecological route management - framework conditions, fields of action, measures" can be downloaded from the VDE FNN website.
Author: Fritz Wilhelm
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