The reappearance of the little yellow helicopter on the horizon above Los Lomas and the echo of the blades beating against the mountains are familiar to all residents of Calasparra as Ibredrola installs an enormous electric tower, weighing some 2,000 kilograms, to connect the electric substations of Calasparra with Cañaverosa.
Ibredrola is using the helicopter to reduce the negative environmental impact of opening tracks or roads in the area designated A special Protection Zone for Birds (ZEPA).
The helicopter has also been used to stretch cables from one side of the river Segura to the other and up to Cañaverosa. This “anti-collision” cable, known as “bird savers” (salvapájaros), aims to reduce the threat to birds and animals in the zone.
According to sources within the company the electric tower with double circuits installed will improve both the quality and the quantity of the transmission of electricity from Calasparra.
During the first phase of the work the helicopter was used to tip liquid cement into excavations which formed foundations for the tower. Then the tower was transported in large sections to the site and the helicopter was suspended almost motionless in the air while site engineers gradually erected the tower. The final element of the tower was put in place last week.
“These highly expensive operations are only justified in those projects where access is difficult and there are special environmental considerations”, said a spokesperson for Ibredrola.
As part of Ibredrola’s commitment to the protect the environment the company has attempted to preserve the vegetation in the area around the construction sites, undertakes to replant any areas cleared during the project and to remove all rubbish and materials used during the work , he added
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