EDP Distribuição and the Municipality of Monchique are working together to prevent forest fires caused by low voltage power lines. The company and the municipality signed a protocol for the creation of mixed teams, which will carry out forest cleaning work.
Rui André, mayor of Monchique, explained to Sul Informação that “in recent years we have noticed that there are many ignitions that occur due to friction between low voltage lines and trees”.
Although EDP is responsible for the management of the lines, being obliged to make fuel management lanes, «to better respond to this challenge, joint teams of EDP and the City Council were created», even because «in many places, the lines coincide with the municipal road network», explains the mayor.
In addition to this "pioneer initiative" of creating mixed teams, also within the scope of the protocol, the Municipality of Monchique received, this Wednesday, 15 July, a biocrusher, which will be operated by the municipality's employees. At the time of delivery, António Leal Sanches, director of EDP Distribuição, was present.
Rui André explained to our newspaper that this «is equipment that allows cleaning the site and spreading it out, not requiring the burning of residues created by cleaning vegetation», he said.
The mayor also clarified that this is a project that "was being prepared for several years, but it was only now possible to do it" and that it has no direct relationship with the 2018 fire, that the investigation concluded was caused by an electrical line, but of medium voltage.
«It is not an easy job, managing medium and high voltage lines. They are often installed on consolidated forest land. In this context, EDP is developing an interesting project in Monchique, worth 1,5 million euros, which aims to bury part of the many kilometers of medium voltage line that cross the municipality. It is a large investment, but it ends up having a return, as it solves the problem of creating fuel management lanes».
In a note sent to the newsrooms, EDP Distribuição says that «in the last 12 years it has invested a total of 88 million euros in vegetation management, of which 16 million refer to this year's investment».
The inspection and intervention actions in the protection zones and in the fuel management strips along the electric lines «involve around 500 people, including internal and external employees, and the application of best practices for monitoring and managing the vegetation». highlights the company.
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