27 September 2022

A first in Belgium: Elia deploys drones to install bird diverters on its high-voltage lines

Today, Elia is installing bird diverters using drones – a first in Belgium.

This technique can now be applied thanks to the evolution of the European regulatory framework. The bird diverters are installed using drones specially designed to work on high-voltage lines. A total of 600 diverters will be installed this week on parts of the lines between Harmignies-Ville-sur-Haine and Harmignies-Ciply.


A first in Belgium

  • Six hundred Firefly-type diverters will be installed over five days;
  • The diverters are installed every ten metres, so that a 4.6 km section of the high-voltage lines will be protected;
  • Firefly diverters prevent 95% of bird collisions with high-voltage lines.

Marleen Vanhecke
Head of Communication & Reputation Elia Group
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