Look, a stork!", the first application in Europe to monitor the white storks and electric grids

We put sustainability at the center of our business strategy and we believe that a company's sustainable development is closely linked to the well-being of communities where it operates. Thus, the company improves its services, reduces power failures, involves the employees, and reduces the risks of network operation and maintenance, while focusing on biodiversity protection and local socio-economic development.

We know that high-voltage poles are used by white storks to build their nests. A nest is made up of tree branches, earth, cloth, paper, and can weigh as much as a ton. It is not just a house for storks, but also accommodates other small bird species that fit easily between the branches of the nest. The biggest risk for storks occurs when the chicks go down from the nest and reach the uninsulated wires. This creates a short circuit, and the nest catches fire.

Because it is our responsibility to protect this species, in 2017 we have entered into a partnership with the Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR) and together we have begun an extensive effort to monitor the white storks on the territory of Romania, as well as to improve the electrical networks.

The stork census is a citizen science project that is carried out at national level with the help of all those who want to contribute to the protection of this species, whether or not they have training in the field. The reason is simple: the white stork is a species protected by law, and the first step to protect it is to gather as much information as possible about it. The census is carried out by SOR with the help of our colleagues, and not only them, within Rețele Electrice Banat, Rețele Electrice Dobrogea, and Rețele Electrice Muntenia.

To achieve our goal, we developed together with SOR "Look, a stork!", the first dedicated smartphone application at European level to monitor this species. But how does the app work? The procedure is simple: users report the stork nests located on the poles of the power grids which are at risk, as well as any stork migration incident - collision or electric shock, SOR analyzes and delivers all data to our distribution companies, and then we raise the nests birds so they are not in danger of electric shock.

Since 2010, we installed more than 700 nest stands and more than 4,000 electrical insulating panels on the power poles and replaced and renovated more than 100 broken nests as a result of alerts received from the app in just 2 years after its official launch.

According to the white stork census organized in 2014 at European level, Romania has 5,400 stork nests, and new nests have been discovered each year with the help of the 9,000 users. In 2018, the "Look, a stork!" app was used to signal the first two white stork nests in Bucharest.

The counting of the white storks in Romania begins every summer with the help of the app, between June 25 and July 31, when the birds are at the nest and the chicks are large enough to be visible. Download the app and join our white stork protection project!