Source: Energy & Management Powernews, July 08, 2022
A greater danger than wind turbines: hundreds of thousands of storks, birds of prey or owls die annually in contact with overhead power lines. In Baden-Württemberg, this should now change.
Up to 2.8 million birds die estimated annually Germany-wide by collision with power lines or by electric shocks. "The problem is far greater than that with the much-discussed wind turbines," says Johannes Enssle, chairman of the Naturschutzbund(Nabu)-Landesverband Baden-Württemberg, in conversation with this editorial team. "The good is: There are solutions."
Ebendiese solutions are to be enforced in Baden-Wuerttemberg now: Representatives of the state Ministry of the Environment, the Nabu, the Association for Energy and Water Management (VfEW) and several network operators signed an agreement, according to which for birds particularly dangerous old pylons are to be retrofitted with modern protective measures. The first stage of the retrofits is scheduled to be completed in 2027.
Resting on an overhead electrical line becomes dangerous for a bird when it touches two wires carrying different voltages: Current flows through the body. According to Nabu, however, so-called ground faults are far more common, which occur when a bird makes a connection between a line and a grounded power pole. This can happen when the wings are spread or when droppings are deposited. With small distances and damp air there is even the danger of a spark over.
Retrofitting necessary
As particularly dangerous the Nabu estimates medium-voltage pylons,
- that have support insulators,
- where the conductor cables are less than 140 cm apart, or where the conductor cables are attached with short guy or suspension insulators (less than 60 cm) to the crossbar or the mast head respectively. The same applies to other live components.
- Also switch poles, where a bird can bridge the switch gap when the switch is open, are dangerous.
Although in the Federal Nature Conservation Act (paragraph 41) is already specified that newly erected masts and technical components of medium-voltage lines are to be designed so that birds are protected against electric shock. By the end of 2012, all existing masts and technical components of medium-voltage lines were also to be equipped with safeguards against electrocution.
However, according to Enssle, it has since become apparent that the standards for safeguards in force at the time, for example spikes such as those also used in pigeon defense, were not sufficient.
Around 26,000 power pylons in Baden-Württemberg affected
That's why Baden-Württemberg has now agreed on the "Agreement for more bird protection on medium-voltage overhead lines." The distribution network operators (VNB) are now retrofitting the corresponding masts, for example by providing the insulators with plastic caps and using insulators with a length of more than 60 cm on guyed masts. Testing for bird safety is also to become part of the routine check of masts. Also overhead lines are to be provided with markings, so that birds recognize them better.
Slowly and gradually now in the southwest approximately 26,000 current masts, which partly already exhibit bird protection technology with the current protection standard are re-tooled. From the side of the network operators involved in the agreement:
- BN Netze GmbH, a subsidiary of Badenova
- ED Netze GmbH, a subsidiary of Energiedienst
- ENRW Energieversorgung Rottweil GmbH & Co. KG
- Stadtwerke Fellbach GmbH
- MVV Netze GmbH, a subsidiary of MVV Energie
- Netze BW GmbH, an EnBW subsidiary
- Stadtwerke Buchen GmbH & Co. KG
- the Fair Netz GmbH from Reutlingen
- TWS Netz GmbH, a subsidiary of TWS from Ravensburg
This means that so far around 70% of the Baden-Württemberg network, which includes a total of around 13,750 kilometers of medium-voltage overhead lines, is affected by the agreement. "And it is now a matter of promoting that even more network operators join our joint project and ensure more bird protection on medium-voltage lines," said Baden-Württemberg's State Secretary for the Environment Andre Baumann (Greens).
Author: Katia Meyer-Tien
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