The Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands, led by Mariano H. Zapata, and Endesa have proceeded to expand the existing agreement to carry out actions on the electricity lines of the islands, in order to minimize the risk of electrocution of birds.
This agreement, which began in 2018, already accounts for a total of 225 actions in supports in the Canary Islands, with a total budget of 454,000 euros. In this last phase for 2024, of the total 106,500 euros, the Ministry will contribute 58,890 euros and Endesa the other 47,610 euros. In this way, in the current period the correction of the supports of the electricity lines of the islands of La Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote will be addressed, with a total of 50 actions, which will be carried out mainly in enclaves of interest for birds such as nesting territories.
According to the Minister, these actions, "which we have been carrying out together with Endesa since 2018, have a clear will for environmental protection, avoiding possible risks of electrocution to our birds and minimizing their mortality." According to Zapata, these are necessary works that allow us to reconcile the energy development of our islands without losing sight of the clear desire to protect the birds that inhabit the archipelago, such as ravens, buzzards, Egyptian vultures, falcons or ospreys."
For his part, Carlos Lafoz, director of e-distribution in the Canary Islands, Endesa's Networks subsidiary, is "very satisfied with the collaboration that has existed for years between the electricity company and the Government of the Canary Islands, when it comes to protecting the birds of the islands. One of the main objectives of the company is to reconcile electricity grids with the safety of birds as much as possible, especially in those areas where there are protected birds."
In this sense, Lafoz explains that the actions to protect the birds include both preventive and corrective measures. On the one hand, from Endesa "the new line routes are designed taking into account the flight corridors of the birds, with new components and designs that reduce the impact of the network on local species, minimizing the risk of collisions of birds in the cables and eliminating the risk of electrocution in the towers where these cables are attached."
Regarding the existing network, "each year the lines in which it is a priority to make corrections are analyzed, taking into account the preferred actions marked by each Autonomous Community."
These adaptations consist, on the one hand, of the installation of anti-collision beacons that are placed on the lines so that they are more visible and allow birds to modify their flight to avoid collision with the power lines. "Endesa has launched an innovative system for placing beacons on power lines through the use of drones, which allows the operation to be carried out in complete safety and also avoids the power supply being cut off during the installation of the devices in most cases," says Carlos Lafoz.
Regarding the priority in the actions, in the case of Gran Canaria, areas with the presence of raven nesting have been taken into account, a species classified as in danger of extinction and for which a greater number of cases of electrocution have been recorded in the Red Vigía Canarias. Also on the island of Tenerife, action is being taken in areas of interest for the guincho or osprey, and other endangered species such as the tagarote falcon.
Likewise, in the case of La Gomera and La Palma, the choice of action points corresponds to areas where incidents have been reported, paying special attention to the supports frequently used by protected species.
