Avian Protection Plans
What is an Avian Protection Plan?
An Avian Protection Plan is a utility-specific program designed to reduce risks from avian contact with utility facilities
An Avian Protection Plan shows a utility company's diligence, it shows that proactive efforts are being taken in order to reduce the potential of negative impacts. By having a company policy on avian protection that recognizes state and federal requirements, there is a clear path forward with identified standards for new construction, risk assessment, and general mitigation measures.
Every Avian Protection Plan is unique, based on a range of information from habitat to engineering decisions, but a plan places emphasis on the certain areas that are most appropriate. A solid Avian Protection Plan will prioritize the efforts and steps required, and it will incorporate these topics and more:
Environment
Habitat, Human Activity
Weather, Lighting Paterns
Bird Species & Behavior
Size, Wing Span
Vision
Distribution, Abundance
Flocking, Roosting & Nesting Behavior
Age, Sex
The Power Line Path
Structural Configuarion
Types Of Equipment
Location
APLIC
Much of the work that goes into an Avian Protection Plan has been defined by Avian Power Line Interaction Committee, or APLIC.
APLIC was founded in 1989 to develop educational resources, identify and fund research, and generally act as a platform for improving avian interaction utility issues and situations. APLIC is made up of utility wildlife biologists and environmental specialists, the US Fish and wildlife (USFW), Rural Utilities Service (RUS), Edison Engineering Institute (EEI), and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).
For more information on APLIC and Avian Protection Plans please visit APLIC.org.
Why Mitigate in the First Place?
"The cost to utility companies alone for recovering from animal related outages is estimated between $15 Million and $18 Million per year. And when commercial entities and consumers are taken into consideration, the overall cost of these outages can strength well into billions of dollars." - Eaton Blackout Tracker, US Power Outage Annual Report
"Electrical power outages, surges, and spikes are estimated to cost more than $150 billion in annual damages to the US economy." - The Expense of an Animal Caused Outage, Utility Products Report
While the monetary costs alone are often compelling enough, the benefits of a proactive approach to wildlife protection and environmental conservation are endless.
Increased System Reliability
Increased Revenue Capture
Cost Of Repair After The Event
Labor
Equipment
Logistics
Reduced/eliminated Risk Of Federal Fines
Increased Animal Safety
Reduced Negative Publicity
With the increase in climate changes that are leading to more wildfires, it is more important than ever to protect against utility caused fires started by an electrocuted bird, animal or otherwise avoidable environmental problem.
