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Nearly all corridor maintenance measures occur on land not owned by the energy supplier.
This necessitates continuous coordination with relevant stakeholders.
While the legislature has legitimized keeping power lines clear of growing vegetation through easements, it has not regulated conceptual, large-scale redesign measures in the power line corridors—essential for Ecological Corridor Management (ECM), also known as Integrated Vegetation Management.
This guide delves into the complexities of stakeholder collaboration in ECM, highlighting their roles, challenges, and practical strategies for fostering effective partnerships that balance ecological sustainability with infrastructure needs.
Understanding Stakeholders in Corridor Management
High-voltage overhead lines are located in public spaces, spanning areas that affect a wide range of individuals whose opinions and concerns must be considered.
Over 99% of these routes are not owned by the operator (TSO/DSO).
Instead, landowners such as forestry authorities (local, municipal, or private forests), farmers, commercial enterprises, or private property owners are the primary contacts.
Coordinating necessary maintenance measures with private owners and residents poses one of the biggest challenges.
This requires significant effort in discussions and persuasion—essentially fostering a robust communication culture—to gain approval for the measures.
Local interest groups and environmental associations can also be challenging to work with, as the required pruning measures for power supply often conflict with their nature conservation goals.
Historically, conventional maintenance practices did not prioritize ecological development, leading to resentment among these groups.
However, the introduction of ECM has mitigated these tensions significantly by incorporating nature-friendly concepts into maintenance practices.
Stakeholder Collaboration and Its Importance in Corridor Management
Before transitioning from conventional corridor maintenance (CCM) to ECM, which does not initially involve significant vegetation changes, landowners (private individuals, farmers, forest owners, or state forest authorities) must be consulted during the planning phase. While it is impractical to coordinate with every landowner, engaging with large and sensitive stakeholders is essential to build acceptance and trust.
Experience demonstrates that when stakeholders are involved early in development planning, transitioning to ECM becomes more seamless and successful.
Practical Challenges in Balancing Stakeholder Interests in ECM
Stakeholder interests often conflict in corridor management. For instance, forest owners may favor planting Christmas trees in protective strips as an economic use of the land, benefiting from their height restrictions (typically growing up to 6 meters).
However, large-scale monoculture plantings are not aligned with nature conservation objectives, as they fail to support biodiversity.
Reaching consensus between stakeholders, such as forest owners and nature conservation authorities, is a key responsibility of DSO/TSO representatives.
Personal communication is often crucial in negotiating compromises that balance cultural design aspects like height and species composition.
However, line operators generally avoid planting trees of similar ages on a large scale, as it increases the risk of trees toppling over and compromising infrastructure.
Read also: Guide to Designing Ecological Corridors
Strategic Opportunities to Overcome Stakeholder Collaboration Barriers
In recent years, societal awareness of sustainability and biodiversity conservation has grown significantly. Sustainability reports now compel companies to operate in environmentally conscious and resource-efficient ways, often providing evidence of their efforts.
This shift has encouraged citizens, communities, and administrations to collaborate effectively, finding mutually beneficial solutions, especially in shared spaces like powerline corridors.
ECM supports this mindset by enabling multilateral planning that harmonizes the interests of diverse stakeholders. Where ECM has been implemented, conflicting parties have consistently found consensus, fostering trust and partnerships.
This trust-building has significantly reduced administrative delays, often lasting years, and enabled more efficient project execution.
For example, negotiating permits for forest felling as part of network expansion can take up to 10 years. Through ECM, these timelines can be significantly reduced, and in exceptional cases, special permits can even be secured.
Strategies for Effective Stakeholder Collaboration
The role of the powerline operator in ECM goes beyond technical maintenance. Operators act as mediators and mentors, balancing the interests of diverse stakeholders. This requires a deep understanding of biological and technical aspects, as well as the ability to negotiate sensitively with challenging partners.
Early involvement of stakeholders, such as landowners and NGOs, is essential during the mapping and planning phase. This fosters trust and creates a solid foundation for long-term partnerships. Experience shows that aligning with stakeholder expectations through a multi-partner approach enhances the success of ECM initiatives.
Tips for Stakeholder Strategies include:
- Communicate success stories to convince local authorities, landowners, and forest administrations about ECM benefits.
- Collaborate with stakeholders early in the planning process to build trust.
- Engage biology experts and NGOs as valuable consultants and decision-making partners.
- Coordinate with TSO/DSO national/EU authorities to align ECM initiatives.
- Promote ECM benefits to local citizens and media by organizing visits to ECM sites.
- Provide relevant data for sustainability reporting to engage the capital market.
- Inform regulators, media, and the public at the corporate level to gain broader support.
Stakeholder Matrix
To better understand stakeholder dynamics, a matrix was created with the following axes:
- X-axis: Influence on local ECM application
- Y-axis: Interest in local ECM application
The stakeholders are categorized as:
- Red rectangle: Decision makers
- Yellow rectangle: Observers
- Green rectangle: Influencers
This matrix serves as a valuable tool to visualize and assess stakeholder interactions:
Best Practices for Stakeholder Collaboration in Corridor Management
A key factor in ECM's success is fostering partnerships among stakeholders, even those with previously conflicting interests. Trust-building is essential for achieving shared goals.
For instance, powerline operators, nature conservation authorities, and forest owners often have differing views.
A private forest owner may favor monoculture Christmas tree plantations for economic reasons, while conservation authorities advocate for biodiversity.
Compromises, such as the integration of open meadows or hedge structures into Christmas tree plantations, are essential and can be achieved through joint planning.
Building Long-Term Alliances
Trust is built through consistent action and open communication, not merely through plans and concepts. Long-term alliances must be forged to ensure the desired development goals are achieved.
This process mirrors the transformation of nature itself—it requires time and sustained effort.
By incorporating heterogeneous coppices with curved open land areas, ECM enables a symbiotic relationship between species protection, commercial forestry, and network operations.
Achieving this balance demands expertise, effective communication, and empathy for diverse perspectives.
Conclusion
The transition from conventional corridor maintenance (CCM) to ecological corridor maintenance (ECM) is essential for creating valuable ecosystems in otherwise underutilized overhead line corridors.
By aligning ECM concepts with the needs and interests of stakeholders, multiple win-win outcomes are achievable.
ECM holds significant potential as a cornerstone of the energy transition, expediting the construction of new lines or upgrades while benefiting both nature and stakeholders.
Success hinges on gaining broad support from sponsors, communicators, and advocates.
