Svabo Nett Teams Up with Gridguard to Safeguard Storforshei’s Power Lines
Gridguard is proud to announce a new partnership with Svabo Nett, one of Norway’s smallest and most resilient utility companies, located in Mo i Rana. This collaboration aims to tackle a persistent challenge that has plagued their power infrastructure for years — woodpecker damage.
A Historic Powerline Under Pressure
Svabo Nett operates the Storforshei powerline, a vital 132 kV line stretching 30 km to Storforshei and Ørtfjellet, originally built in 1964 to supply power to the region’s mining industry. Today, it supports Mo Industrial Park, Helgeland Kraft, and several smaller energy producers.
Over the years, the line’s wooden poles have faced an unexpected and relentless enemy — woodpeckers. The birds have caused extensive damage, leading Svabo Nett to replace nearly all the wooden poles along the line. In 2020, they began transitioning to aluminum poles to combat the issue. However, aluminum is costly and less environmentally friendly than traditional wooden poles.
Introducing the GridScout Sensor Solution
To explore a more sustainable alternative, Svabo Nett has partnered with Gridguard to pilot our advanced sensor technology along key sections of the Storforshei line. The goal? To protect wooden poles from further damage, monitor infrastructure health, and improve fault detection capabilities.
Here’s why Svabo Nett chose the GridScout solution:
1️⃣ Woodpecker Detection and Deterrence:
Gridguard’s sensors detect woodpecker activity — specifically their drumming patterns — and trigger deterrent sounds that mimic territorial warning calls. This disrupts the birds’ behavior, encouraging them to relocate without harming them. By preventing further damage, Svabo Nett hopes to extend the lifespan of existing wooden poles, reducing the need for expensive replacements.
2️⃣ Proactive Rot Monitoring:
While Svabo Nett doesn’t face severe rot issues, they — like all utility companies — must perform manual rot inspections every 5 to 10 years. Gridguard’s sensors provide continuous, real-time data on pole health, tracking moisture and structural integrity. This allows Svabo Nett to monitor rot development over time, offering valuable insights that enhance maintenance planning.
3️⃣ Faster Fault Detection and Response:
Storforshei’s remote, mountainous terrain presents a significant challenge during outages — especially in winter, where snow can reach depths of four meters. Gridguard’s system provides live network health status, pinpointing where faults occur and suggesting likely causes. This allows Svabo Nett’s operations center to dispatch crews directly to the fault location, reducing search time, minimizing downtime, and enhancing safety by avoiding unnecessary navigation through hazardous terrain.
Espen Moe, Operations Manager at Svabo Nett, expressed optimism about the partnership:
“Woodpecker damage has been a long-standing issue for us, and the cost of replacing poles is significant. We’re hopeful that Gridguard’s technology will not only help protect our existing wooden infrastructure but also provide valuable data for better maintenance and faster fault handling. This could make a real difference for our network’s reliability and our crew’s safety.”
A Vision for the Future
By collaborating with Svabo Nett, Gridguard is taking a significant step towards promoting sustainable power infrastructure — helping utility companies preserve wooden poles while enhancing grid resilience and safety. If successful, this pilot could pave the way for broader adoption of wooden poles over more expensive and less eco-friendly alternatives.
We’re excited to see the results of this partnership and continue working towards a smarter, stronger, and safer power grid for Norway — one pole at a time, says Erlend Nordbak, COO of Gridguard.
