Preventive Archaeological Research in Overhead Electric Power Line’s Construction Zones

Abstract

The article is dedicated to archaeological research within the limits of projected and existing overhead power lines in Ukraine. Based on the experience of the Scientific and Research Centre “Rescue Archaeological Service” of the Institute of Archaeology, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the results of such works were summarised and monument protection measures for avoiding or mitigating the negative impact on the archaeological heritage during the overhead power lines construction were proposed. In 2008–2024 the Center’s employees surveyed 1507.3 km of power lines 220‑750 kW and 2642 hectares of area within the 14–21 m wide right of way; 444 new and known archaeological objects were localised; monument protection measures for 342 objects were developed; 8946 m2 were excavated in places where supports installed on 40 archaeological sites; 30 archaeological sites were supervised; accounting documentation for 78 monuments was developed. According to the survey results the average archaeological objects occurrence index per one kilometer of the overhead power lines planned route was determined as 0.251. It has been confirmed that in the steppe zone and adjacent areas of the forest-steppe mounds and mound groups occur more often than the settlements that prevail in the forest and forest-steppe zones. The regularities in which each stage of research defines the task for the next and gradually narrows the scope of development areas have been determined: at the Feasibility study stage an area of more than 1200000 hectares was developed; at the Project stage 2642 ha were archaeologically surveyed; at the stage of Construction monument protection research is planned on an area of 28.27 hectares. The same trend applies to the archaeology objects number covered 1358, 444 and 342 objects respectively. Despite the research areas decreasing, their resource consumption and the cost of the archaeological methods used are increasing.The United Energy System of Ukraine is one of the largest in Europe. According to its promising development program it was planned to build a thousand km of new overhead power lines. However, the war made its corrections and to the new planning construction were added hundreds of kilometers of destroyed overhead lines and dozens of ruined electrical substations. Comparing such linear objects as highways or main pipelines a much smaller volume of earthworks is processed during the overhead lines construction and they too can potentially have a significant negative impact on the environment including cultural heritage. Therefore, preventive measures developed on the mitigation hierarchy principles should be implemented at all construction stages. Each cycle’s phase corresponds to a certain type of archaeological research: planning → preliminary archival and bibliographic research; design → archaeological investigations (surveys); construction → archaeological monument protection research; exploitation → monitoring. Such approach using ensures the optimal management adoption decisions and helps to avoid and/or reduce the potential negative impact on cultural heritage even at the first stages of the investment project development.