- The initiative is an example of collaboration between public administrations and companies in the field of wildlife fire prevention, surveillance, and management
- They are both committed to strengthening future cooperation in fire and birdlife matters
- Both institutions are working together to establish action protocols in the event of forest fires and manage vegetation under power lines
On Thursday the Government of the Principality of Asturias and Red Eléctrica, a subsidiary of Redeia, held a joint working meeting to coordinate action and collaboration procedures in the field of fire surveillance, prevention, and suppression throughout 2024.
The meeting was attended by the Director General of Land and Interior Conservation of the Principality of Asturias, David Villar, and the Head of Facilities' Development and Support at Red Eléctrica, Luis Velasco, who explored different avenues for future cooperation in this area.
At the meeting, they discussed the implementation of concrete methodologies for the management of vegetation under power lines to prevent forest fires.
The parties have also analysed maintenance procedures for these power lines, as Environmental Agents will be conducting inspections along the routes of high-voltage lines passing through high fire recurrence areas during the upcoming summer. To this end, a protocol has been established to deactivate (power down) power lines or substations in case a fire breaks out.
These actions are part of the courses of action outlined in the Fire Surveillance, Prevention, and Suppression Plan of the Principality of Asturias for 2024, which the Ministry of Development, Local Administration, and Fire Prevention approved last October. The plan outlines our region's comprehensive wildlife suppression policy.
The Asturian Government's Fire Prevention and Suppression Plan also includes the integration of technological means such as drones and surveillance cameras to prevent fire outbreaks.
Thus, the administration of the Principality will provide Red Eléctrica with its daily forest fire risk index, as well as cartographic information. This data will prove invaluable to the system operator and sole transmission agent in the Spanish electricity system.
Red Eléctrica, a company of the Redeia group, maintains a strong commitment to the territories in which it operates. In this vein, Redeia agreed during the meeting to share its cartography with the Principality of Asturias, which contains valuable data for forest management and wildfire prevention and suppression. The parties also agreed that Red Eléctrica will provide training activities on fire prevention, surveillance, and suppression. Additionally, it will showcase its initiatives in birdlife protection to the 250 environmental agents of the Principality.
The meeting was also attended by technicians from the Ministry of Development, Local Cooperation, and Fire Prevention, representatives of the Principality of Asturias' Emergency Services, and the environmental agents' corps, as well as officials and technicians from Red Eléctrica's Environmental Department.