Wildlife Protection along the LitPol Link Route

Objectives

Main Information

Construction of the LitPol Link power line connecting Lithuania and Poland began in mid 2014 and were completed in December 2015. Before the construction period, scientists from the Environmental Research Centre and the Lithuanian Fund for Nature conducted a detailed field examination to identify and analyse risk zones for flora and fauna and summarised their findings in a study. The requirements to ensure wildlife protection were subsequently included in the project’s environmental impact assessment study and technical specifications.

The study found that the better part of the corridor consists of ploughed fields and pastures and also identified some areas that were in need of special protection in order to reduce environmental impact. The early marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata) for example, which is on the Red List of threatened species in Lithuania, was found in the planned construction area and thus, relocated to other areas that could provide the plants’ their preferred wet, base-rich soil. This relocation happened in collaboration with a Regional Environmental Protection Department.

Additionally, wildlife monitoring occurred before and during each stage of power line construction and will continue for the remainder of the construction period.

The Lithuania-Poland power interconnection is the first power interconnector for Lithuania and other Baltic States to Poland and the Continental European grid. It should also strengthen the power independence of both countries, contribute to the development of an integrated EU electricity market and ensure higher energy supply security.