REPORT
Birds and Electrical Wires
March 5th, 2009
Mr. Peter OLAJOS, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and Chairman of the Subgroup on Energy and Transports of the Intergroup on Sustainable Development, hosted on 5th March 2009 a meeting on ‘Birds and Electrical Wires‘.
Mr. OLAJOS introduced the first speaker, Mr. Vaclav HLAVAC, representative of the Czech Presidency and of the Agency for Nature Conservation of the Czech Republic, who started his speech by highlighting two main problems: the collision of flying birds with wires and the electrocution. He then analyzed the solutions on a political level: birds and electrical wires is not a regional but an international problem that needs an international solution and a consequent regulation. We need changes in existing law and a close monitoring by environmental NGOs, he argued. On a technical level, there are different types of electric pools in different countries – there is no unique recommendation for Europe as a whole, but the general policy should be similar.
We need standards to protect birds from collisions and from electrocutions – he added – ‘under-ground‘solution is always preferred to above-ground for middle voltage power line network.
His main conclusions were that the above ground power lines present serious mortality factor for birds which threaten the survival of some species. The problem is not solved satisfactorily in many EU countries. In order to solve it, close cooperation of nature conservation and energetically departments is needed. The problem can be solved by technical directives and standard specifications. International cooperation, mutual data exchange and knowledge on technical and political level is required, he added. Regulations on national and international level are crucial assumption to solve this issue.
The second speaker, Mr. Paulo PAIXAO, from the European Commission, DG Environment, started his speech by analyzing the legal framework for the protection of birds and stressing the fact that not all the measures available are legally binding. The EU Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) of 2006 and the CMS Raptors Memorandum of Understanding and Action Plan, for instance, try to protect birds through their migratory ways. Among the ten (10) key objectives of the BAP, we can find the safeguard of EU’s most important habitats and species, the conservation/restoration of biodiversity and ecosystem services in wider countryside and the regional and territorial development compatible with biodiversity, he added.
After a first comprehensive assessment of progress at both European Community and Member State level, the main conclusion is: the European Union is highly unlikely to meet its 2010 target of halting biodiversity decline. Intensive efforts will be required over the next two years, both at the level of the EC and of the Member States. EU policies and legislation already provide strong basis to address the biodiversity challenge but they need to be effectively implemented. Priority measures for the coming years are: more action to manage and restore sites in the Natura 2000 network to restore the ecosystem health and services in the wider EU countryside and in freshwater and marine environments. The funding instrument still remains the most controversial issue. In fact, underground power cables are very expensive. The EU budget is to be used by different measures: Life+ actions, to safeguard the EU’s most important habitats and species, to conserve and restore biodiversity and ecosystem services in the wider countryside, to reinforce compatibility of regional and territorial development with biodiversity in the EU (as an example trough the planning and management of Natura 2000 sites, actions to strengthen coherence, connectivity of Natura 2000 network and species action plans. He then gave five (5) examples of best practices in Hungary and Spain, even if there are still many power lines recently built and developed without an environmental impact assessment, he confirmed. Mr. PAIXAO argued that our protected areas are not natural reserves and human activities are there allowed. He concluded by saying that if we think in terms of birds, electrical wires are a threat among other threats and that birds conservation deserves the attention of many different sectors.
The third speaker, Mr. András SCHMIDT, from the Hungarian Ministry of Environment and Water, started his speech by talking about conflicts between birds and power lines and some advantages like vantage posts (raptors, Roller), safe breeding sites (White Stork, Saker Falcon). He went through the conservation efforts to solve these conflicts. In a first phase, in 1970s, there were a first insulation on pylons and raised nesting platforms (for White Stork) but funding was very limited and occasional until the EU integration. Monitoring of bird casualties along power lines was first organized on a national scale in 2004. The integration within the EU opened much greater and more reliable (long-term) funding opportunities like LIFE Nature projects and Environment and Energy Operational Programme. Decades of collaboration with electricity suppliers provided a very good basis to joint work in large-scale projects, as well.
An Initiative by Mr. OLAJOS in 2007, as explained by the speaker, brought together in an Agreement (26th February 2008) the signatures of the Hungarian Ministry of Environment, BirdLife Hungary and all medium-voltage electricity suppliers in Hungary, later joined by national high voltage transmission system operator, the biggest power engineering company and small suppliers (fittings). This agreement continues to provide a framework to co-operation with targets and deadlines to be accomplished by January 2020. The results up to now were consistent: for instance, the amendment of Act on Nature Conservation with the following statement ‘all newly built and fully renewed power lines must be bird-friendly‘. Electricity suppliers have become proactive, co-financing (about 25%) and investing into bird-friendly innovations (e.g. plastic pylon head), he added.
The fourth speaker, Mr. Gergő HALMOS, from BirdLife Hungary, stressed the fact that electrocution of birds on medium-voltage pylons is a worldwide problem and the main cause of raptor mortality in most regions. Precise data were not available in Hungary but he estimated for the extent of the problem with extrapolation (National annual estimation): 250,000 dangerous pylons (30% of the total), 28,400 carcasses, 5,200 000 Euro theoretical conservation value. BirdLife has then developed a special bird protector cross arm cover in 1991 and more than 50,000 pylons were covered countrywide in Hungary. It took twenty (20) years, it is a very slow process (only < 10% of all pylons during eighteen (18) years) and not effective at all pylon types, and especially on recently erected ones, he argued. The nature conservation law has been recently changed (2009) and it forces electric companies, that newly developed or rebuilt power lines to build them in a bird friendly design. Electric companies have in parallel changed internal regulations and bird friendly pylon types are already under development.
BUT: The re-building of the complete power line network needs several decades.
According to Mr. HALMOS, we already know where are the most dangerous conflict areas and how to modify power lines into bird friendly types but we still don’t know who will finance the modifications and how long will it take to reach significant decrease in bird mortality among power lines.
The fifth speaker, Mr. Jean-Paul SAINTE-MARIE, Managing Director of DÉMÁSZ Network Distribution Ltd, highlighted that since the 1970s, in accordance with the EDF Group sustainable development policy, DÉMÁSZ has been working for the preservation of biodiversity and particularly for bird protection. The DÉMÁSZ network is mainly composed by overhead lines (about 90%) that represent some obstacles and dangers but also opportunities for wild protected birds. The first bird protection actions were done for the White Storks and these activities are still going on, he argued. DÉMÁSZ has been dealing with bird protection since the 1970’s, but its activity has been limited to the elevation of stork nests on LV lines until the 1990’s. Since 2006, the company has developed a 300-meter-radius circle around the stork nest so to make MV lines bird-friendly. It is necessary to do it – he stressed – as young birds are clumsy, awkward and unhandy while learning to fly, so they beat their wings in an uncoordinated way, which make them bump into the lines and they got electrocuted. In 2008, the Hungarian Association of Ornithology and Environment Protection asked for DÉMÁSZ assistance as they planned to observe young white storks. Despite these actions linked to the nests’ environment, the electrical network remained with a lot of traps for the protected birds. However, DÉMÁSZ works to find simple and cost effective solutions to avoid these lethal traps, he affirmed.
The sixth and last speaker, Mr. Markus NIPKOW, from NABU – BirdLife International, analyzed the three main types of risks to birds from above-ground power lines: electrocution, collision, especially for migrating birds, and negative impact on staging / wintering areas or protected areas of the NATURA 2000 network. He urged on the use of bird-friendly power pole with suspended insulators and analyzed the legal instruments to protect birds from powerlines. He presented binding legislation as a necessary step towards bird-safety. He explained and stressed the difference between above-ground lines and underground cables, arguing that the first ones are surely cheaper, they have a shorter construction time and the identification and repair of damages is easier but underground cables provide 100% bird protection, they have a higher public acceptance, a lower disturbance of natural scenery, lower electromagnetic radiations and higher weather tolerance in comparison to above-ground lines. Underground cables are indeed cheaper in long-term period in areas where climate change impact is expected. Mr. NIPKOW took the example of the catastrophe in Germany in 2005, where many electrical pylons collapsed because of wet and heavy snow on the electrical wires. BirdLife International proposed to integrate biodiversity aspects into the electricity grid expansion planning. According to Mr. NIPKOW, we need high quality Environmental Impact Assessment and a strategic planning at a high geographical level, the Strategic Environmental Assessments.
IN CONCLUSION:
„Newly erected power poles and technical hardware have to be constructed to exclude the possibility of bird electrocution. Mitigating measures are to be undertaken on existing power poles and technical hardware in the medium voltage range within the next ten (10) years. (…)“[1]