Tools
The PGE Capital Group is a company fully aware of its impact on the environment. Numerous, wide-ranging activities related to all areas of the Group’s activity have obvious consequences for the environment. At the same time, the PGE Capital Group makes every effort to calibrate its installations in such a way as not to harm the natural environment and to eliminate the effects of its activity in all possible contexts. PGE cares for the good development of fauna and flora concentrated around the assets belonging to the company. The project is carried out with the BIOSECO company, which specializes in bird protection systems at airports and wind farms, as well as provides advanced tools for ornithological research. As part of the project, a bird monitoring system was tested, which is designed to eliminate their collisions with wind turbines within the Kisielice and Lotnisko wind farms. The mechanism is based on the analysis of information recorded by devices mounted on turbines. Data from vision cameras and radar are used for automatic identification of birds, cataloging their individual species, and tracking flight paths. The equipment is able to detect birds from a distance of 500 metres from the turbine and assess the likelihood of collisions. If the animals are at a certain distance from the turbine, it initiates a series of luminous warning signs to signal the birds of danger. If they do not change their flight path, the sound system is activated. Finally, when the birds approach the turbine within 300 metres, the turbine stops. In this way, the animals are able to safely avoid the obstacle. The project will significantly reduce the risk of birds colliding with wind turbines. Consequently, it will have a positive impact on the maintenance of valuable biodiversity in wind farm areas and in their immediate vicinity. Many species, so far forced to relocate their breeding grounds, will be able to safely live in the vicinity of PGE’s assets. Two farms selected for the pilot project were not selected by chance – they are the vicinity of many protected and endangered bird species, including: white-tailed eagles, lesser spotted eagles, cranes, marsh harriers and white storks.
In addition to the benefits for the natural environment, the solution will bring savings, because the Group will not have to incur costs related to the periodic shutdown of entire wind farm complexes during bird migration.
PGE Dystrybucja is the Distribution System Operator (DSO) in the PGE Capital Group. One of the DSO’s tasks is the expansion and modernization of energy infrastructure, the main core of which are power lines and stations. For the project implemented jointly with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for business partners, additional guidelines were introduced to protect the natural environment during construction and renovation works.
For contractors of the investment, the „Rules for carrying out works on the construction and reconstruction of power stations and power lines” have been introduced, which define the methods of investment implementation with respect for the natural environment in the field of:
These rules should be applied in the performance of daily work carried out on construction sites and with the use of technically efficient and properly equipped or retrofitted equipment, as well as they concern the organization of work, where respect for the environment is the most important priority.
During the implementation of the above-mentioned investments, quarterly inspections of the rules are carried out by H&S inspectors (in accordance with the attached form). The conducted inspections concern the use of appropriate equipment and machines by contractors in accordance with the H&S instructions and the above-mentioned principles of technical efficiency of devices. The rules of work organization are also checked in accordance with the above-mentioned principles whose main aim is „resource efficiency” to protect the environment and the climate.
For the sake of the natural environment and the quality of energy supplied, PGE Dystrybucja uses modern over-forest poles in forest areas, the height of which reaches 50 meters and allows it to bypass the branches of even tall trees and guarantees stable operation of the network even during storms or wet snowfall. Installation of the above construction does not require increasing the area of logging. In 2019, over-forest poles were installed near Radomsko on the Radomsko Południe – Wrzosowa (WN-110 kV) line, Radomsko Południe – Stobiecko, and on the 110 kV) line Bór – Suchedniów – Wykępa – Kielce Piaski, near Kielce.
