Protection zones
A protection zone is an area of land, airspace or body of water surrounding both electrical and gas installations, where restrictions have been established on the use of land and on operating and working in the protection zone to ensure the safety and protection of the installation. The extent of the protection zone depends on the voltage class of the installation in the case of an electrical installation, and on the pressure class of the installation in the case of a gas installation.
In order to ensure that the electrical and gas installations owned by Elering are reliable and safe, the following is prohibited in the protection zone:
- preventing access to the installation;
- preventing the maintenance of the installation and its protection zone and the preservation of vegetation and soil in a manner that is safe for the installation (for example, keeping overhead lines and gas pipeline routes free of tall vegetation);
- preventing the installation of markings informing about the location of the installation or the danger posed by the installation (for example, gas pipeline location markers and signs);
- endangering the installation or its use (for example, causing contamination and corrosion of the electrical installation through one’s activities);
- building another construction work requiring a building permit, including removing and piling soil.
Landowners are notified in advance of scheduled maintenance and repair work taking place in the protection zone of Elering’s installations.
Operating in the protection zone is only permitted with permission from Elering
When operating in the protection zone for Elering’s electrical and gas installations, it is very important to adhere to the safety requirements and not damage the installation. For this, planned activities must be approved by Elering in advance (at least ten working days in advance).
The establishment of a protection zone for installations and operating within the protection zone are governed by sections 70, 76 and 77 of the Building Code and a regulation of the Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure.