The study focuses on analysing the causes of the premature collapse of wooden transmission poles in Slovenia, where there have been several cases of rapid fungal decomposition of poles despite the planned lifespan of 30 to 50 years. The poles were made of Scots pine wood and impregnated with a copper-ethanolamine wood preservative. The research aimed to assess the condition of standing poles and examine the key causes of their premature degradation in the case of two broken poles. The methods used include using a resistograph to determine the decay of wood through cross-section and the isolation of carrots to determine penetration and retention. In addition, microscopic and hyperspectral analysis was performed on wood samples to characterise degradation accurately. The results showed that the impregnation of wood was mainly insufficient, leading to widespread degradation, especially in areas with insufficient penetration of the biocidal product into wood or where the entire sapwood of pine poles was not impregnated. The accelerated collapse of the poles is due to the action of the brown rot fungi. The research highlights the need for improved impregnation and regular control of poles to ensure their service life and the associated security of the electricity supply.

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