Third session of the 'Connecting Energies: Training Series for European Civil Society' on reconciling nature and the electricity grid.
The final session of the training took place in Berlin (Germany) and explored the crucial relationship between electrical infrastructure and biodiversity, with a particular emphasis on bird conservation. Biodiversity experts shared their knowledge and insights into the potential impacts of electricity infrastructure on bird populations, as well as solution strategies, barriers to implementation, and good practices to bring us further.
Members of European civil society organisations were invited to participate in discussions to identify common challenges, principles and key actions to be elaborated in a shared outcome document. This joint vision for connecting the grid and biodiversity will be disseminated publicly and be used to inform interactions with industry and policy makers.
About Connecting Biodiversity
This in-person workshop focused on how to reduce the mortality risk for bird populations along the grid. On the first day, we kicked off with a general overview of successes and failures of the mitigation solutions used in European countries based on the study, ‘Electrocutions & Collisions of Birds in EU Countries’ (compiled by Raptor Protection of Slovakia, 2021).
We then dove into the challenges of implementing mitigation strategies, on one side as a transmission system operator (TSO) and on another side as an NGO. Understanding the difficulties in applying measures from both sides is crucial to find common solutions.
On the second day of the event, we discussed the solutions and began to elaborate our own recommendations. We had a special session on sensitivity mapping used as a crucial tool during the planning phase of a new grid infrastructure. We hears different experiences and methods elaborated by NGOs to identify the critical areas for bird species where grid construction should be avoided and where mitigation should be prioritised.
Finally, the last part of the workshop was dedicated to participatory sessions. NGO participants shared their experiences on the barriers they encounter to implement solutions and identify mutual challenges. Secondly, the discussions focused on the solutions needed as an NGO community to tackles those challenges.
The outcome of the discussions will be summarised in a document, proposing principles that can serve as guiding points for future discussions and will be shared publicly in 2024.
The Renewables Grid Initiative invites members of European civil society organisations to an enlightening three-part training series, 'Connecting Energies', where we explore the intricate relationship between electricity grids, the energy transition, and biodiversity.
In the first two online sessions, we delve into the role of electricity grids in the energy transition, the role of interconnectors between Member States in delivering the EU’s climate and energy targets, and how policy frameworks can be used to reach climate neutrality.
The final session, held in Berlin, will uncover the critical connection between electricity infrastructure and bird conservation. Participants are invited to apply insights from the previous sessions to the challenge of protecting biodiversity along grid infrastructure and provide input to a shared outcome document to be disseminated publicly.
