Birds spark blackouts - Eskom
30/01/2006 15:49  - (SA)  

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Cape Town - Birds pooping on power lines is one of the causes of transmission-line faults around the country, says Eskom acting chief executive Jacob Maroga.

Briefing parliament's minerals and energy portfolio committee on Monday, he said Eskom had gone so far as fitting "combs" to the top of pylons to discourage birds from perching and nesting on them.

The MPs were hearing from several stakeholders, including the national utility, on reasons for the recent spate of power failures in the Western Cape.

Maroga said: "Bird excretion can cause shorts and trips on our transmission system."

According to a graph included in his presentation, birds caused more than 400 transmission-line faults in 2000, but the incidence appeared to have dropped since then.

Other environmental causes of line faults included veld fires, lightning, snow, tornadoes and ice.

- SAPA

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