Fire risk management is a rePLANT (PPS2) activity, led by REN and the University of Coimbra, which brings a new perspective to integrated forest and fire management based on scientific and technological knowledge.

The goal is to provide greater protection, forecasting and anticipation of the impact of rural fires, both on the forest assets managed by many companies in this sector and on the energy infrastructures that are present (mostly in rural areas).

A surveillance system was created through the installation of optical cameras on REN supports located in the forest. These systems will provide real-time images, georeferencing the point of ignition/smoke column, meteorological information on the location and information on vegetation, through the placement of sensors, which send a communication to information systems to be created for this purpose. They are intended to ensure the following basic functional characteristics that make up a local unit:

Fire detection system (ignitions/smoke columns) based on thermal and optical camera technology;
Video surveillance system based on optical camera technology;
Meteorological data collection system (Meteorological unit);
Power supply system (Power supply and energy production unit), based on an autonomous solar photovoltaic system with energy storage in batteries;
Communications system (Fiber optic communications unit);
System of integration, processing and management of all the systems (Integrated System);

Scientific research will provide these technological tools with the dynamics to detect potential fire outbreaks, but above all to simulate fire behavior and monitor fires, contributing to the resilience and integrity of electrical infrastructures.

In the territory, these innovative tools will have impacts on the improvement of prevention systems, fire fighting and risk reduction for the teams involved, and also in the management of other existing infrastructures in the territories, such as energy, road, rail and industrial infrastructures, among others.