On September 14th, 2023, a part of the LIFEEL working group composed of PM Franco Mari, two officials of the Regione Lombardia, the head of the wildlife office of the Parco Lombardo della Valle del Ticino and Graia visited the engineering firm in charge of creating and installing the experimental deterrent system that will be installed at the Creva dam.
The system involves the positioning of strobe LED lights on the grid of power plant intake to prevent the entrance of the eel’s specimen in the intake channel of the hydroelectric plant during the downstream migration period, guiding them towards the nearby fish passage.
During the meeting, the technicians who are working on the system showed the characteristics of the system. Among the features stands out the possibility of managing the intensity of the light and the possibility of creating intermittent patterns, moreover, the system will be connected to a level sensor that by communicating with a control unit can only operate the submerged lights by turning off those out of the water.
The morning continued with an inspection of the Creva dam, a plant managed by Enel Green Power, where the plant managers showed the works to the LIFEEL group and defined the details for the installation of the system.
The assembly of the experimental deterrent system is almost complete and the installation at the Creva Dam is scheduled for early 2024.
In the pictures some moments of the day and a project section with the arrangement of the LEDs.
