We may be in the world of cyberspace and fibreoptics and all sorts of high-tech gizmos, but British utility National Grid will require more traditional methods to meet the terms of its contract to lay a power line across the Andes.

The problem for National Grid is not just the height of the mountains, glaciers, and unpredictable weather, but also that helicopters can't lift heavy pylons in the thin air conditions of the Andes at up to 14,500 feet.

The solution? Hire herds of donkeys and their owners. "Most of the materials will have to be brought in to the sites on the backs of donkeys or, at the most difficult locations, on the backs of men," says National Grid.

Donkeys mightn't be likely to go on strike, but after watching Bogie's High Sierra classic movie already, the men from the grid should prepare themselves for the legendary stubbornness of their new workforce.