Essential Energy will be using drones to inspect powerlines in the Armidale region as it looks to modernise bushfire mitigation practices ahead of the 2025-26 bushfire season.
Moving away from traditional methods for its annual Pre-Summer Bushfire Inspection program, the electricity distributor is embracing innovative ways to minimise impacts on customers, livestock and the environment.
Essential Energy’s Chief Operating Officer Luke Jenner says drones provide an efficient, low-impact and safe way of inspecting the vast number of assets across the diverse landscape of the Essential Energy network.
“Traditionally, we have used fixed-wing light aircraft to fly over our poles and wires but this year, thanks to technology and innovation, we are using drones to inspect a larger part of our network with helicopters covering the areas where the drones can’t fly,” Luke explains.
Drones will inspect at least 7,000 kilometres of powerlines, covering close to half of the overall program. While this isn’t the first year that Essential Energy has used drones as part of its inspection program, this year marks a large increase in the area that will be covered. The remaining 8,000 kilometres of lines earmarked for inspection will be covered by a combination of drones and helicopters.
“Inspecting Essential Energy’s network for potential risks, such as asset defects or encroaching vegetation, ahead of the bushfire season, helps keep our communities safe and is part of an ongoing maintenance regime,” Luke says.
About half of the inspection area will be undertaken by drones which allows Essential Energy to use its resources much more effectively, given the various types of terrain in the network.
Luke says drones provide an efficient, low-impact and safe way of inspecting the vast number of assets across the diverse landscape of the Essential Energy network.
“We are increasing our use of drones in our annual inspection program for 2025, as they provide better information about our poles and wires while offering a cost-effective solution that has a lower impact on the environment.” Luke says.
“A key part of our bushfire management plan is to ensure that vegetation is clear of the powerlines. So, we need to be very diligent in looking for dead, dying or diseased trees that could fall onto the powerlines and potentially start a fire,”
“Managing the risk of bushfires is an important part of keeping the network safe and reliable for the customers and communities served by Essential Energy.”
Public notifications are issued before aerial inspections take place within each area.
To receive notifications from Essential Energy, customers are encouraged to keep their contact details, including mobile number and email address, up to date with their electricity retailer.
More information about Aerial Inspections and Bushfire Safety is on the Essential Energy website.
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