«The little nut lives at the top of a mast. He gnaws a little and “bang” so he is stuck. – There are many small insects that cause outages on our power grid, begins emergency manager in Glitre Energi, Trond Eriksen. For example: A group of diligent ants had eaten the entrails in a spruce for X number of working hours. This weekend, the tree had to give up. A boom fell to the ground and tore a high-voltage line with it in the fall. 3256 households suddenly sat in the dark. It was Laagendalsposten that first mentioned the case. Emergency manager in Glitre Energi, Trond Eriksen, confirms that animals that touch power lines and cause breaks are common. Photo: Glitre Energi – No, it is not completely common … Not often we see it, but we have been there too, Eriksen confirms and adds: – It is probably more common for rats, mice, birds and squirrels to crawl up in the high-voltage grid and causes a short circuit that causes the fuses to blow, so that it gets dark in a large or a small area. Small insects, large breaks – When, for example, a squirrel breaks power, what really happens? – Yes, then the squirrel climbs up and causes a short circuit between two phases. Much like at home with a lamp wire, when two wires short circuit. Then the fuse blows. The squirrel has then been stuck with its tail on one side and its hat on the other. In the second phase, it says bang and the squirrel is “slightly scorched”, Eriksen explains. – And a given number of households will be without electricity. – Yes, in February 2021, large parts of Øvre Eiker were darkened due to a tiny squirrel. Pity for those who lose power of course, but even more pity for the squirrel. Nøtteliten tried its hand at the high voltage network in Hokksund 23.02.21. 22,000 volts unfortunately provided effective cremation for the poor man, while large parts of Øvre Eiker were without electricity. Photo: Glitre Energi Woodpeckers, cutters, pigeons and beavers. All are power outages. An even bigger problem is rats and mice, often in the autumn when the nights get long and the cold sets in. – Yes. They search internet stations and kiosks that supply smaller areas with electricity. Then they start gnawing on the insulation. Then the same thing actually happens as with the squirrel. The fuse blows and there may also be a fire in the station, says Eriksen and adds: – I should think they liked good food better, but plastic and rubber are obviously something they like, Eriksen answers. Fire and large costs The emergency manager explains that both the birds’ wings and the rats’ tails are a contributing factor to power outages and the animals’ certain death. – The distance between two rails or phases is somewhere between 10 and 20 cm. Then a slightly larger animal that then comes across both wires, it gives a power failure. We spend a lot of time looking for the cause of the error, and often find dead, black-burnt insects near the place where there is an error. This weekend, the spruce had to give up. Photo: Glitre Energi The tree fell over a high-voltage line and left more than 3,000 households without electricity. Photo: Glitter Energy The reason: Hungry wood ants. Photo: Kongsberg fire and rescue service The faults can cause a fire, as Eriksen has mentioned, and it results in large repair costs and downtime for the customers who are affected. Costs millions Often the energy company tries to get ahead of the problem. Bird nests are moved. Master dressed in mesh. – This is to prevent woodpeckers from making holes in the posts, which is a big problem up in Hallingdalen, says Eriksen. Neither Glitre Energi nor NVE keeps statistics on how many breaches are caused by animals that come into contact with wires. Extreme weather, lightning, tree falls and digging accidents make up the majority of power outages. – The results cost us between 20 and 30 million kroner annually. – What proportion of the power outages are caused by animals? – I would estimate somewhere between 5 and 10 percent, Trond Eriksen concludes.
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Ants caused power outages in over 3,000 households in Kongsberg – NRK Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
