Providing the customers with reliable electricity while also protecting the natural environment is incredibly important to ATCO Electric (ATCO). That’s why taking every possible measure to understand the causes and impacts of outages — and ultimately, how to prevent them — is a priority for ATCO teams around the world.
In 2017, following an unusual pattern of outages impacting a section of two of the company’s transmission lines in east central Alberta, the ATCO team began to suspect that raptors in the area were roosting on a specific location on the transmission structures, interfering with the delivery of essential electricity to our customers.
ATCO team checks for cause behind transient outages
Keyra confirmed their suspicion that birds’ excrement was causing transient outages
To address the problem, Dan Vachon, Supervisor, Transmission Line Maintenance for the Vegreville region, brought a diverse team from ATCO together, including linemen, engineers and an environmental specialist, Keyra Hawley Yurchi.
After conducting extensive research into the matter, Keyra confirmed their suspicion that birds’ excrement was causing transient outages.
With Keyra providing the expertise in avian behavior and habitat, and Dan providing the technical knowledge, together they came up with a plan to install a hardware solution that would deter the birds from roosting and ensure that the customers continue to receive the electricity that they rely on.
Installing a hardware solution to deter birds from roosting
The team knew what was needed – a roosting and perching deterrent was necessary to keep hawks and other large raptors off the structures in these key areas and the material needed to be able to withstand extreme weather conditions, such as high winds and freezing temperatures.
When they discovered that there were no compatible products in the marketplace, the team put their heads together to develop their own design, and worked together with Power Line Sentry, a company that develops and manufactures power line protection products, in order to create a product with an installation tool and manufacture the devices.
ATCO partners with Power Line Sentry to develop solution
Once complete, the devices were installed on the energized circuit in just two and half days using a helicopter
Once complete, the devices were installed on the energized circuit in just two and half days using a helicopter with a platform to increase installation speed, reduce field time and protect the delicate wetland area in certain locations along the power line.
Since installation in mid-2018, results have exceeded expectations, with the section of line experiencing an 83% reduction in outages.
Enhancing other avian protection tools
ATCO continues their relationship with Power Line Sentry, who is now building these devices for other companies and continue to work with them, in order to improve their other avian protection tools.
By bringing a team with diverse strengths together, ATCO provided a stronger solution for their customers, while also ensuring that they are protecting the environment in the areas that they operate.
