Shandong Heze: Safeguarding power lines, providing safe home for rare migratory birds

As the first county the Yellow River flows into in Shandong province, Dongming boasts vast tidal flats and wetlands along its 76-kilometer Yellow River channel, abundant water plants and a sound ecological environment.

It serves as a vital stopover, foraging and wintering habitat for migratory birds in the Yellow River Basin. More than 140 bird species have been recorded in the county, including many Class-I national protected wild animals such as great bustards, white-naped cranes, oriental white storks and black storks, as well as Class-II protected birds like whooper swans and common cranes. Over 100,000 migratory birds inhabit and breed here every year.

For a long time, large numbers of migratory birds have preferred to perch and build nests on transmission towers that offer open views and high ground. Dry branches, weeds and debris falling from their nests can easily cause line flashover, short circuits and tripping in strong winds, rain or snow, leading to regional power outages. The birds themselves also face the risk of injury or death from electric shock.

To resolve the inherent conflict between protecting power lines and protecting birds, State Grid Heze Power Supply Company has moved beyond the traditional maintenance approach of simply driving birds away and clearing nests, and has deeply integrated grid safety management with ecological protection of the Yellow River basin. Working with the forestry and natural resources departments and wildlife conservation experts, the company has formed a dedicated joint patrol team. The team carries out full-coverage inspections focused on the core migratory bird habitats in the Yellow River floodplain and on towers with frequent bird activity.

Staff members record key data tower by tower, including nest locations, bird inhabiting frequency, activity cycles and safe distances from live lines. They improve ecological files under the "one file for each tower" system to realize accurate hazard identification and dynamic closed-loop management. For high-risk towers and sites with dense bird nesting, insulating baffles and new bird-proof devices are installed as appropriate. Meanwhile, an artificial nest project is innovatively carried out. Exclusive roosting spaces are built for migratory birds in idle safe areas of the towers. This completely eliminates hidden dangers of line discharge while preserving bird habitats to the maximum extent, achieving a balance between power grid safety and bird protection.

At the same time, frontline line patrol officers act as ecological grid workers and wildlife promoters. Relying on routine line inspections, they go to villages, farmlands, schools and communities along the floodplain, distributing illustrated leaflets. They popularize knowledge of rare bird identification, wildlife protection laws and regulations, as well as safe electricity use. Local residents are guided to voluntarily protect wild birds and power facilities, fostering a sound atmosphere of joint governance and shared protection by the whole society.

With these regular measures in place, line failures caused by bird activities have dropped sharply in Dongming county, and power grid reliability keeps improving. The ecological picture of harmonious coexistence between power lines and birds, and between humans and birds in the Yellow River floodplain becomes increasingly vivid.

Going forward, State Grid Heze Power Supply Company will continue to deepen the government-enterprise ecological linkage mechanism, upgrade intelligent bird prevention and ecological line protection technologies, and expand the coverage of artificial bird nests. It will standardize, normalize and perpetuate the working model of "protecting power lines and birds for harmonious coexistence". The company will keep supporting biodiversity conservation in the Yellow River basin through refined power operation, and paint a beautiful picture of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature with green power practices.