Reducing wildlife-caused outages and mortality in distribution substations - A systematic approach to risk, design, durable mitigation and conservation.

Wildlife interaction in substations is a global issue with consequences for both biodiversity and power system performance. Electrocution of birds, mammals and reptiles, together with wildlifecaused faults, equipment damage and ignition events, result in species mortality, habitat degradation, wildfire and loss of supply continuity. As substations connect new renewable generation facilities and associated transmission and distribution systems, improving their environmental performance is an important component of wider biodiversity conservation and enhancement objectives for power infrastructure. This paper presents a practical framework for reducing wildlife mortality and substation-related risk through three linked elements: (1) a structured mitigation process, (2) a prioritisation model for implementation, and (3) durable technical specifications for long-term protection. The framework combines preventive measures, including ecological baseline assessment, nature-inclusive design, exclusion, vegetation and lighting management, and commissioning controls, with corrective measures such as retrofit protection, adaptive maintenance, restoration and end-of-life remediation. The objective is not only to reduce outages and direct mortality, but also to avoid ecological attractants within hazardous areas, reduce habitat-related risk and, where feasible, support positive biodiversity contribution in the surrounding landscape. Positive contribution in this context includes safer habitat function around the substation, restoration of disturbed areas, provision of nesting and perching opportunities outside hazardous areas, and measurable improvement in site ecological condition relative to baseline. The paper shows that successful mitigation depends on accurate identification of the species involved, the access routes by which wildlife enters substations, and the equipment presenting the greatest risk of interaction. It further demonstrates that durability is a critical asset management requirement: poor fitment, UV degradation, electrical tracking and inadequate inspection can undermine effective mitigation measures. By embedding wildlife mitigation within the wider mitigation hierarchy and across design, commissioning, operation, maintenance, refurbishment and end-of-life planning, the proposed approach supports both improved reliability and measurable progress towards biodiversity-positive substation management.