OREANDA-NEWS. November 29, 2013. The branch of JSC “MOESK” - Western Electric Grids performed a set of measures to protect the birds from electric shock at overhead power lines. Energy specialists pay particular attention to the Lotoshinsky District of the Moscow Area, in the territory of which white storks settle, which are included in the Red Book of the Moscow Area.

White storks often nest at power lines poles and build their nests using wire cutters. The main danger - metal objects can touch PL wire and uninsulated live parts of electric grid equipment, which can lead to technological disturbances and bird kill.

To avoid such cases, experts of MOESK in 2013 for the first time began to mount modern polymer bird protection insulators of type LKP at 35-220 kV lines.

“Until recently, the main event at the overhead lines was the installation of the so-called steel wools that were harmful to the health and life of birds, and were banned for use on the governmental level in 1996,” the western branch of the MOESK told. “Polymer insulators will significantly reduce the number of PL outages and save the life of the birds. In the end, reliability of power supply for consumers increases.”

In addition, in the framework of power supply quality improvement, old-style wire at the grids of 0.4 kV and 6.10 kV is replaced by modern insulated one of brand SCIW (self-conducting insulated wire). It is coated with special polymer coating, which also eliminates the possibility of birds’ contact with the current-carrying part of the wire.

Besides technical solutions, energy specialists, together with the activists of the Russian Bird Conservation Union, carry out the transfer of nests to safe places. Thus, under ornithologists’ control, one of white stork nests was moved from the PL pole to the village Novoshino last week. According to the rules, bird protection device was mounted at the PL pole, which will prevent possibility of re-nesting and will reduce the probability of electric traumas among birds.