Results

Birdlife

Bird collisions:
to date a total of 1,403 kilometres of line have been marked of which 412 are located in special protection areas for birds (SPAs) and the rest in areas close to nesting or feeding sites of sensitive species, migratory routes, ultimately in those areas where species likely to collide are detected.
- Use of the bird-saver spiral as a marker of the ground cable:
  - Reduces bird collisions by over 60%.
  - Reduces the birds' flight frequency.
  - Increases the visibility of the ground cable.
  - The useful life of the bird-saver spiral is over 10 years.
Occupation of installations
- Nesting:
  - The monitoring of towers where storks build their nest during the nesting season is carried out annually. In 2008, a total of 863 towers have been inventoried.
  - The use of nesting dissuasion measures for the white stork has an effectiveness rate of over 50%.
  - Other species of birds exist, such as Corvidae and predatory birds, which constantly use the towers and substations.
Resting points
- More than 1,000 specimens of the lesser kestrel use the electrical substations as pre-migratory resting points.
- This is not a case of occasional use, because the substations are re-used in successive years.
- The presence of lesser kestrels in electrical substations does not create any risk for this species or affect the normal operation of the installations.

Electric and magnetic fields

The concern for human health and the factors that can affect it have meant that since the 1960s, and particularly since the late 1970s, a multitude of studies have been performed on whether the electric and magnetic fields generated by electrical installations represent any kind of health risk.

The R&D&i project "Currents induced in the human body by electromagnetic fields of Industrial Frequency" was concluded. The project was carried out jointly with the Institute of Applied Magnetism "Salvador Velayos". In 2009, the calculation model was applied to employees of Red Eléctrica in actual working conditions in the proximity of live elements, such as live working situations while on the tower or in contact with conductor cables and the inspection of the gallery of Barajas. The results have been satisfactory, as they do not exceed the maximum permissable values established by the European Union legislation.

In 2010, new measurements were performed and the measurements registered were well below the limit values recommended. Als, Red Eléctrica replies to consultations made by the interested parties and participates in various forums in order to inform about and clarify those issues that most worry society.

The "Electric and magnetic fields" section contains detailed information on the main scientific conclusions.