Western Power now operating drones in the Goldfields to support network reliability

Western Power has added drones to support network reliability and increase operational efficiencies across the State, including Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

The utility company’s 22 drones have reportedly undertaken 488 flight missions including power line inspections, fault finding, operations mapping, line-of-sight testing for communications towers and line stringing since August last year.

Western Power said pole inspections to find faults were usually performed by ground teams who were often required to drive or walk to patrol powerlines over long distances, sometimes in land that was environmentally sensitive or hard to access.

The company said the use of drones “significantly reduced” the time and resources taken to identify faults, improving response times to outages and mitigating land management risks.

The drones are located in depots at Geraldton, Northam, Merredin, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Katanning, Albany, Bridgetown, Vasse, Picton, and Jandakot.

Drone operators used high-powered zoom lenses and thermal heat sensing to detect potential faults, which would not be visible to the naked eye.

Department of Fire and Emergency Services provided Western Power with an exemption to fly drones during total fire and total movement bans, improving their ability to inspect lines and safely re-energise power during bushfire-related outages.

Asset operations executive manager Zane Christmas said the drone program not only offered operational and safety benefits, but also upskilled Western Power employees in using innovative technology solutions.

“Through embracing drone technology, we’re trialling innovative practices on our network, such as developing a custom drone attachment to string power lines across inaccessible areas such as rivers and valleys, successfully used by pilots in Albany and Bridgetown,” she said.

“Western Power has 67 team members who are active drone pilots, and 30 who are awaiting certification, which requires completing Civil Aviation Safety Authority training, and additional training on inspecting powerlines — bringing additional expertise in-house and supporting jobs.

“The drone program has been hugely successful for our maintenance teams, and we’re excited to see how this technology evolves in the future. It’s another way we’re working to deliver reliable supply and efficient services to the community.”