DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids places special casings on the lines to protect birds from electric shock

Bird guards are polymer safety casings for insulators and adjacent wires that keep birds from coming into contact with live parts. They are lightweight, durable, weatherproof, their service life is up to 40 years. These setups keep birds safe from electric shock and power lines from blackouts.

“DTEK is a conscious and reliable company. Biodiversity conservation is one of our focus areas, which is in line with the DTEK 2030 strategy based on ESG principles, values and business responsibility for progress in achieving the sustainable development goals of the UN Global Compact. This year, the DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids energy workers have started installing special casings for the first time. Within the year, the company will install 504 such sets on 10 kV overhead lines,” says Vitaliy Shaida, CEO at DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids.

According to the head of the company, the installation sites are determined by the company's experts and coordinated with an ornithologist. He surveys the territories and identifies the most dangerous sections of the lines for birds, considering seasonal migration and habitat halo.

See our short video of how bird protection devices are installed in Yagotin here.

As previously reported, DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids installed 41 nesting platforms for storks across in Kyiv Region on the poles of power transmission lines in 2020. Thanks to this initiative, over 200 birds listed in the Berne Convention for the Protection of Natural Habitats in Europe were saved last year alone. Another 50 such structures are planned to be installed this year. See the video why DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids is installing nesting platforms for storks here.