Filenews 5 August 2023 - by Angelos Nicolaou
A total of 114 fires in the last 11 years are due to short circuits of power lines.
The recent decision taken to set up a permanent working group in which executives from EAC, the Department of Forests and the Fire Service will participate, which will meet once a month in order to plan actions in order to reduce the risk of starting a fire from power lines passing through forests and countryside, It has been the result of intense debate in recent times.
The cause of the fire within the Pafos State Forest on Monday, July 24, 2023 was due to the 11 km long overhead line with bare pipes from Kampos Tsakkistra to Stavros tis Psokas for electricity supply to the forest station.
Essentially, EAC will start a program with the coordination of the other services, to replace the cables with other PVC insulated cables in order to prevent fires at least in the forests. It is noted that EAC cables and transformers alone do not cause fires. However, there are external factors that may cause a fire due to a short circuit. Such factors are wind and contact loose bare wires. Another cause is a short circuit caused by birds, and even by rodents, that get into transformers and gnaw at wires. Also, fire can be caused by touching the branches of forest trees with power lines.
Things are worrying as they seem. According to the official data of the Department of Forests, a significant number of fires have been caused, which were found to have been caused by short circuits in EAC power lines and transformers.
A total of 114 fires were confirmed for the period 2012 – 2023. However, it seems that the problem of causing fires that were found to have been caused by EAC power lines and transformers still exists and will continue to exist in the coming years. Efforts to date to resolve it have not yielded the desired results. However, it is expected that now that the matter has become headline news everyone will see the issue more warmly, so that the risks can be significantly reduced.
The most destructive fires recorded by the Department of Forests are the last one in the "Elitzies" area of the Pafos State Forest on 24/7/2023, where an area of 10 hectares was burned. A large fire was also recorded on 27/5/2023 in Pegeia with the area that has burned reaching 50 hectares. On 3/5/2016 an area of 25.5 hectares was burned by fire due to a short circuit in Pano Archimandrita. We had large fires caused by short circuits in EAC power lines and transformers on 30/7/2012 in Pano Polemidia, on 17/6/2013 in Mitsero, on 27/6/2020 in Liopetri, 5/8/2021 in Trimiklini, and 31/5/2022 in Analiontas.
It is noted that in 2020 a working group was set up for the first time with EAC and Department of Forests officers to discuss and resolve various issues concerning the two Services. At that time, the issue of fire caused by short circuits in EAC power lines and transformers was raised, but this effort did not yield the expected results.
The Department of Forests was particularly concerned about the overhead power lines in the Pafos forest, which is one of the oldest EAC facilities. These are pipelines that are not lined and are located on wooden piles that cross the Pafos State Forest. In successive letters, he stressed that the risk of forest fire is increasing. According to the Department of Forests, in the event of a forest fire, the attempt to suppress it, both by ground means and by aircraft, becomes dangerous.
In fact, in one of the meetings, but also in writing in November 2019, the Department of Forests raised the issue of electrification of the forest station in Stavros tis Psokas from areas of Pafos such as the area of Lysos and the abolition of electricity from Tsakkistra.
However, the fire in July 2023 led to a review of the priorities of the Department of Forests, where it decided that electricity in this area should be done with an electric generator and that the cable would not be reconnected to an overhead line.
Power lines cross forests
In order to address the problem, since 2015, the Department of Forests has been sending EAC a table showing the geographical location of transformers, cable lines passing through forests and cable lines passing through tree rows that pose a great risk of causing and spreading forest fires. A total of 475 cases have been recorded.
These 475 points pass through all the forest stations. Specifically, for the electrification of the Dhekelia forest station, transformers, cable lines and tree lines were identified in many locations such as Cape Greco, Makronissos area, the forests of Mana tou Nero and Agioi Saranda, the forests of Sotira, Agios Nikandros etc.
In addition, there are dangerous points for the electricity supply of the station in Kornos. Cable lines are recorded in Agia Anna, Kornos, Sia, Mosfiloti, Delikipos, Lythrodontas, etc.
For the station of Lythrodontas, dangerous pipelines were recorded for causing fire in the communities of Lythrodontas, Filani, Lazanias, Vavatsinia, Agioi Vavatsinias, Kambia, Politiko, Kapedes, Lefkara, etc.
Also, for the Larnaka forest station, a large number of EAC lines have been recorded by the officers of the Department of Forests that are likely to give fire. Specifically, problems are observed around the forest of Aliki, in the forests of the airport, around the forest Vounari of Adki in Lympia, around the forests of Troulloi etc.
As far as the Rizoelia forest station is concerned, fire-threatening cables are observed around the Rizoelia National Forest Park in Aradippou, Kalo Chorio, Oroklini and Pyla.
Fewer dangerous spots have been recorded at the Agia Marina Xyliatos forest station and specifically in the communities of Xyliatos, Polystypos, Livadia and Agia Marina Xyliatou.
As far as Agios Theodoros station in Troodos is concerned, issues are recorded at the junction to Agios Theodoros, Mount Sinai, Nikitari, Kato and Pano Koutrafas, Agios Epifanios. Dangerous power lines pass through the Troodos forest to supply electricity to the Panagia Bridge station in Agios Epifanios and Mitsero. At Evrychou station, issues are recorded in Kaliana, Galata, Katydata, Korakou, Skouriotissa.
Concern about short circuit and electricity supply to Kapoura station, specifically in Agios Georgios and Nikitari. Another point concerning the Troodos forest and requiring special attention concerns the Kakomalli forest station and specifically cables crossing Kalo Chorio, Louvaras, Kapilio, Gerasa, Apsiou, Dierona, Mathikoloni, Agios Mamas, and Akrounta.
Cables have been installed to serve the station in Parekklisia in the communities of Asgata, Vasa Kellakiou, Sanida, Kellaki and Parekklisia.
The Troodos forest at Platres station is also endangered by cables in Pano Platres, Agios Dimitrios, Paliomylos and Prodromos. In Saittas, the areas of Dymes, Kition, Mesa Potamos, Makri, Pelendri, Kardama etc. are affected.
At the same time, dangerous cables pass through for the electricity supply of the Pafos forest and specifically for the electricity supply of the forest stations of Stavros tis Psokas, Orkontas, Forestry College, Akamas, Panagia, Geroskipou, Gialia, Kato Pyrgos and Kampos.
INTERVENTION
At long last, protective measures must be taken
What was not done in previous years during the meetings between EAC and the Department of Forests should now be done with the involvement of the Fire Brigade. That is, recording all medium voltage lines passing through forest land that are bare and could be a hazard.
The fact that the team that will be set up will meet every month is expected to cut and make decisions to make forests safer, and to reduce the risk of fires caused by short circuits in EAC power lines and transformers. There is no longer any excuse not to immediately start replacing bare lines with insulated ones in order to get rid of a cause of fires, especially in the forests. Let us hope this is the last time that such serious issues are not resolved.
