Environmental associations ask the administration with a Royal Decree for Avoid the death of ‘Avifauna’ in electric lines and wind farms. «We believe that the new regulations promised by Mitec Endangered speciescaused by electric lines (electrocution and collision) and wind turbines (collision and barotrauma) »» »
In that sense, these environmental platforms remember that, in their opinion, it is not about casual deaths, but that they can be avoided with less dangerous facilities for these species, “Where the right technical solutions that guarantee their total safety are not given ».
Currently, the obligation of these regulations focuses on the so -driven protection zones that include Special protection areas for birds (ZEPA) of the Natura 2000 networkthe application applicable to the restoration of endangered birds and, in general, the priority areas for this Catalogized species. However, birds that go through the territory are not only limited to these areas of special protection.
Avoid the mortality of ‘Avifauna’ in electric lines and wind farms
The SOS Tendonidos Electric Platform, composed of some of the most important entities related to the preservation of nature and birdsIs of the opinion that the new regulations promised to add some improvements from the start of the legislative power to effectively reduce the death of millions of fauna monsters, including endangered species, caused by electricity lines (electrocution and collision) and wind turbines (collision and barotrauma). The platform recalls that these deaths are not coincidental, but to be foreseen and expected events that occur when the installation is dangerous for the Avifauna and does not have the right technical solutions that guarantee their total safety.
In the allegations they presented during the public information period of the new Royal Decree, concluded on 12 April, the entities of the SOS Electric Pendon platform are essential Extend the obligation to apply correction measures in dangerous electricity lines for birds on national territory.
This obligation is currently focusing on the SO -Braande protection zones, a legal figure that is already foreseen in the Royal Decree of 2008 on Avifauna and electric lines that are currently in force, which remain in the design that has been made on public information and that the areas of special protection for birds (zepa) of the Natura 2000 for this priority for this recovery plans and the application of the recovery plans and the recovery plans and the recovery plans and the recovery plans and the recovery plans and the recovery plans and the recovery plans.
Birds, however, move through the territory, ie limiting the approval of measures for the protection zone allows the coverage of the future Royal Decree to one Non -decable number of electric lines that pose a serious risk for the Avifauna.
The new standard also provides for the electricity lines outside the protection areas, but as long as earlier cases of electrocution or bird collision have been verified by a means of the authority. «This measure is completely insufficient to ensure that the lines are corrected Dangerous for birds in the area And in any case it should not be limited to verified events and also include situations of a dike risk, “they defend.
Moreover, the SOS Tendonidos Electric Platform is of the opinion that the creation of protection zones in contradiction with the The Environmental ActReach standard according to the Royal Decree, which determines the obligation to operators, before an imminent threat of Accepting without delay and without the need for prior warning suitable preventive measures. A judgment of the Supreme Court of October 2021 explicitly states that the risk of bird selectrocution is always immediately immediately, regardless of whether the line is outside or within the protection areas.
In their allegations, the Platform entities also ask that defined time is determined to correct at least the most deadly lines or those who assume a high risk of endangered species, because otherwise the corrections can be delayed for an indefinite period.
Agile update of measures to protect the Avifauna
In recent years we follow rapid technological progress in terms of measures to correct and prevent the impact of electric lines. That is why another of the allegations of the SOS Tendonos Electric platform to allow the agile update of the articles and appendices that describe these measures, preferably by ministerial orders that guarantee that the best available technical solutions are always applied, without having to wait for a new change of the Royal Decree.
In any case, the entities that make up the platform are of the opinion that it is not sufficient to apply corrective measures and all new electricity lines They must already be built with safe design criteria for birds, so that the risk is minimized from the first moment.
In the new Royal Decree, the electricity lines that provide energy or other electrified means of transport are explicitly excluded. In these types of lines, however, an important mortality of birds has been proven, so that the SEOS electric platform is of the opinion that they should not be excluded and the inclusion of the new standard of the obligation to apply the technical measures for the protection of Avifauna that has already been determined by Adif.
Wind farms: Better to prevent the protection of Avifauna
One of the most positive novelties in the design of the Royal Decree is that it tackles the enormous problem of the great current mortality of wildlife in the wind farms, both through collision (for example in many birds) and by barotrauma (in the case of bats), through sizes such as wind turbines in risk situations for these species and the disolly situations.
The SOS Tendonos Electrico Platform welcomes the importance that this problem is granted in the new regulations, although it proposes additional measures. It is therefore necessary to improve the detection and stop systems, because they have not effective so far, especially to prevent the mortality of small birds and bats that are multiplied by the mass installation of large wind turbines. Similarly, it is necessary to expand the use of trained dogs to Detectability of corpses and remains of victims of animals of this problem.
At the same time, the platform claims to apply the prevention principle and to prevent the installation of Wind turbines in areas with high environmental sensitivity. To do this, it claims that the sensitivity maps that have been worked out by the Miteco and organizations such as SEO/Birdlife or Secemu are used and updated, allowing the location of new projects to have no vulnerable population of birds with birds bats.
The SOS Tendonidos Electric Platform claims the government to properly approve this Royal Decree that the Miteco committed from the start of the legislative power, including in the last text, the changes proposed in the accusations presented by its Midentities.
In addition, for the correct and effective implementation of the new regulations, entities have integrated into the platform question homogeneous criteria for evaluation and action throughout the State area with regard to the content of the Royal Decree, because there are currently important differences in the interpretation and application of obligations in this matter between autonomous communities. Under these criteria, they ask that the headlines of the facilities, whether they are electric lines or wind farms, are responsible for the maintenance and periodic verification of the condition of the anti -electrocution and anti -collision measures applied.
Another proposal from the SOS Tendonos Electric platform is to create a technical monitoring committee, in which the competent administrations, the business sector and scientific organizations and civil society are represented for Evaluate compliance with the Royal Decree, propose improvements and ensure the constant update thereof.