Chinese electric company discusses power grid safety with Brazilian firm

State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co held an online exchange last week with CPFL Energia SA, the third-biggest Brazilian electric utility company, to discuss efforts on bird protection along power lines as part of ongoing cooperation between the two countries.

The State Grid Corporation of China, the world's largest utility company, concluded a deal for a 54.64 percent stake in 2017 in Brazil's largest power distributor CPFL Energia, bringing advanced power generation technology and management experience to Brazil.

As the largest country in South America, Brazil has one of the richest bird diversities in the world, which has also become a threat to power transmission. In 2022, the number of bird-related incidents in the power grid operated by CPFL Energia surged significantly, posing challenges to the local grid's operation and maintenance.

This year, the company noticed a research project on anti-bird barriers carried out by State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power that can ensure the safety of the power grid while protecting birds.

During the exchange between the two sides on Aug 22, the team from State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power provided an overview of the types of bird protection equipment used in Yangzhou city and their respective application scenarios. They also shared measures for resolving conflicts between birds and power lines, with a particular focus on evaluating the four existing bird protection measures currently in place at CPFL Energia.

Drawing on the successful experiences and case studies from Yangzhou, the Chinese team offered targeted suggestions for improving bird protection in Brazil.

In the future, State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power and CPFL Energia plan to establish a long-term communication channel to continue their in-depth exchange on optimizing bird protection measures and solidifying practices for mitigating bird-related risks.

Li Boyu contributed to this story.