Effective Facilites Protection from Animal Intrusion and Damage

Download PDF version

Non-electric Fence Raccoon Video Demo (30MB)

A costly, common problem

Electrical utilities and substations frequently experience costly and disruptive power outages when animals interfere with equipment and components. Power outages caused by animal intrusion typically involve significant man-hours and high repair costs to resolve and can seriously impact transmission and distribution station performance.

In addition, animals may experience burns or receive other severe injuries resulting in lingering pain and/or death. Trapping, a common mitigation technique, can be costly and is not always reliable.

Effective functional design

Kinectrics has developed the PowerKage; an innovative non-electric fence designed to prevent ground access by squirrels, raccoons, and other animals, to electrical equipment at substations, thereby eliminating a common cause of power outages. Kinectrics’ design has proven effective in preventing substation intrusion by animals. The PowerKage  can also be combined with cone technology to expand protection.

Kinectrics’ patented PowerKage  design is backed by extensive research and testing (at the Metro Toronto Zoo facility), which included thorough evaluations and comparisons with other animal control technologies (e.g. electric fence, acoustic devices, strobe lights etc.). A recent design modification will also allow the PowerKage  to stop snakes.

The PowerKage significantly decreases potential safety, liability and animal welfare issues that can be associated with electric fence installations.

Design features

• Constructed using high quality, durable materials
• Structural steel fence components and wire mesh, are welded into a singular unit and galvanized; upper fence components consist of heavy gauge plastics
• Modular design (6 ft. units) is easy to assemble/install, dissemble or reconfigure (less than 1 day required for most installations)
• Fences sit on ground surface (some installations require anchoring of the fence to existing structures or concrete footings)
• Installation does not require shutdown of electrical equipment
• The PowerKage fence system can be readily grounded
• Able to withstand high wind loading (designs available)
• Gates provide for easy entry/exit for electrical equipment maintenance and inspection purposes; overall fence height of approximately 4 feet can be readily surmounted in an emergency
• A payback period on the installed fence price is estimated at 0.5 to 4 years for most moderate to high-risk substations
• Offers substantial reduction, or elimination of repair costs due to animal intrusion over the lifetime of the fence

A flexible, low maintenance solution

PowerKage maintenance is minimal. PowerKage fence layouts can be very flexible and focused to contain specific problem areas, i.e. using one or more, smaller fence enclosures within the utility premises.

Where costs of animal-related outages are high, the payback period for the PowerKage becomes very short. The PowerKage non-electric fence provides a practical, humane and highly effective option in preventing power outages caused by animal intrusion.

News Report - Kinectrics' PowerKage Non-electric Fence installed at Southern Cal Edison Station

For more informationon the PowerKage, Non-electric fence, contact

Bob Reesor, 416.207.6000 x5842, bob.reesor@kinectrics.com