SA Power Networks to vastly expand use of drones
Drone manufacturer Carbonix has completed a mission with SA Power Networks inspecting 150 km of powerlines in remote South Australia.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) approved mission flew drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) in what the companies said was a first for Australia.
For the past 18 months, SA Power Networks has been working with Carbonix to advance the use of long-range uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) in aerial inspection work on remote electricity distribution network assets. This latest mission paves the way for the drones to inspect South Australia’s vast electricity distribution network of more than 180,000 km2.
SA Power Networks plans to use the drones to replace its current system of inspections, which are carried out by conventional crewed aircraft (helicopters and light planes) or ground crews. The utility said using Carbonix drones would result in an up to 80% reduction in operating costs and an up to 98% reduction in CO2 output, while at the same time improving safety and efficiency.
“We rely on aerial inspections to be able to meet inspection cycles,” said Paul Roberts, Head of Corporate Affairs for SA Power Networks.
“Our crews also drive about 20 million kilometres annually patrolling and maintaining our vast network. Being able to deploy over-the-horizon drone patrols will drive greater efficiency in our asset management program and provide genuine safety benefits for our people and community.”
The adoption of drones promises to improve response times to outages, fault finding, bushfire preparedness, maintenance work, and planning and documentation of line re-stringing. This would support the reliability of electricity supply, particularly for the 30% of SA Power Networks customers living in regional and remote areas of the state, the utility said.
“This is such an exciting time for the drone industry and for the energy industry,” said Carbonix CEO Philip van der Burg.
“We’ve addressed the risks and barriers, both regulatory and technical, and proven the capability. Long-range drone adoption means improved safety, faster response times and reduced carbon footprint for companies like SA Power Networks. We’re thrilled to have partnered with them to achieve this Australian first.”
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