Austria is pioneering a revolutionary approach to power line design with the introduction of animal-shaped electricity transmission structures called the Austrian Power Giants. These innovative concept power lines are designed to supply energy across all nine federal states in Austria, with each sculpture representing an animal that symbolizes the respective region's unique characteristics and wildlife.
The groundbreaking project features power line structures molded to resemble animals that hold special significance for each Austrian state. Among the designs is a stork sculpture representing Burgenland, chosen to honor the region's annual stork migration patterns and the city of Rust, which is widely known as the "city of storks." Another featured design is the stag, which serves as the animal symbol for Lower Austria's wooded foothills of the Alps, reflecting the region's rich forest landscape and mountainous terrain.
The ambitious infrastructure project aims to install these animal-shaped power lines across all nine Austrian federal states: Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, and Vienna. This comprehensive approach ensures that each region will have power line structures that reflect their local wildlife and cultural identity, creating a unique network of fauna-themed electrical infrastructure throughout the country.
The project represents a collaboration between three companies: Austrian Power Grid, GP designpartners, and BauCon. According to the design teams, the stork and stag designs have already undergone extensive development and pre-testing phases to evaluate their structural stability and high-voltage performance capabilities. These preliminary tests were crucial to determine whether it's technically feasible to produce functional power lines shaped as animal structures while maintaining safety and efficiency standards.
The design teams believe these nature-inspired power line structures can significantly increase public acceptance of grid expansion projects in their respective regions. They anticipate that these unique installations will become powerful symbols of fauna-themed infrastructure, helping to bridge the gap between industrial necessity and environmental harmony. The teams noted that traditional power line designs have historically faced poor public reception across Austria's regions, leading them to explore this innovative alternative approach.
By crafting power lines as animal sculptures, the project aims to create more positive public reception for essential infrastructure development. The designers envision these towering structures as a way for industrial infrastructure to harmonize seamlessly with the natural environment. Additionally, they expect the unique power lines to strengthen the economic appeal and tourism potential of the regions, ultimately leading to increased public acceptance of necessary grid expansion projects.
Currently, only two of the proposed Austrian Power Giants – the stork and stag designs – have been developed for pre-testing to assess their construction feasibility and verify that their structural and electrical engineering meets required standards. The successful completion of these tests will determine whether the concept can be expanded to include designs for the remaining seven Austrian states.
The innovative project has already garnered international recognition, receiving the Red Dot Award 2025 for concept design in the electrification and decarbonization category. Miniature models of the Austrian Power Giants are currently on display for public viewing at the Red Dot Museum in Singapore, where they will remain until October 2026, allowing visitors to experience these groundbreaking designs firsthand and appreciate the intersection of functional infrastructure and artistic innovation.
