Nature and Species Conservation in Amprion Grids

German TSO Amprion aims to interfere with nature as little as possible, as many of their power lines pass through open landscapes, meadows, and forests. They implement IVM on approximately 9000 hectares, with IVM being applied to all suitable areas in the entire area with Amprion powerlines. Their ecologically driven strategy was initiated around 1994, where they initiated a technically and economically optimised form of ecological route maintenance.

Their IVM principles highlights its importance in creating sustainable, stable biotope structures, promoting nature and species protection, and connecting valuable habitats. It pushes for continuous and extensive implementation instead of rare and intensive route maintenance.

Highlights

• Individual removal of invasive trees that are marked by a particular colour for easier identification.
• Regular mowing of meadows to preserve existing plant species.
• Drawing up of plans where experts map the areas of our power lines with biotope types and set maintenance targets. They coordinate these plans with owners and responsible authorities.
• Removing fast-growing trees and shrubs from under their overhead lines and promote slow-growing species.
• Creating smooth transitions to the forest as higher growth is possible at the edges of the protective strip and in the immediate vicinity of the pylons compared to below the conductor cables. These stepped structurally rich forest edges provide habitats for many species.
• Adapting their maintenance measures to local conditions and giving nature time to develop below their lines.

About the project

Amprion is one of the four transmission system operators in Germany, responsible for transmitting electricity all the way from the North Sea to the Alps. Amprion was the first TSO to develop and implement ecologically appropriate concepts about 20 years ago. Their IVM strategy prioritises the safe transmission of electricity without harming the natural habitats present near their grids. The goal of their maintenance work is to ensure the reliability of supply. Power outages, that can be caused by fallen or overgrown trees, are controlled and eliminated through regular pruning of the vegetation near overhead lines.