Stork deterrent system 

Reducing incidents caused by storks on very-high-voltage lines using laser/LED technology.

Over the years, technologies have been developed to keep storks away from high-voltage line supports. However, in certain more critical locations (for example, near agricultural fields or landfills), they persist, which can affect the quality of service of the National Transport Network and put their own lives at risk. In 20 years, storks were the second biggest cause of disruptions in the REN lines (the first cause being electrical discharges).

With this motivation, a stork deterrent system was developed, consisting of a stork detection, recording, and dissuasion system placed on the supports of high-voltage lines, based on laser/LED technology (phase 1). In a second phase, the potential use of the solution was analyzed at the liquefied natural gas terminal in Sines, for seagull deterrence.

• Keeping storks away from very-high-voltage lines. 

• Reducing disturbances caused by storks in the quality of service of the Portuguese National Transmission Grid.

• Protecting the storks from incidents on very-high-voltage lines.

• The data collected are the object of study for researchers in the academic world. 

• Potential application of this technology to other structures and to deter other bird species, as in the case of seagull deterrence at REN Atlântico’s Sines LNG Terminal.