Powercor has successfully used a drone to fly a new powerline into place high above the treetops in a remote part of Victoria, significantly reducing repair time during a recent emergency response.
The operation took place earlier this month near Deans Marsh, about 20 kilometres from Lorne, where crews were responding to a damaged powerline in steep, heavily vegetated terrain. The faulty line was positioned between 10 and 50 metres above ground, making access extremely challenging.
Initial attempts to use the existing line to pull a replacement into position failed when the old wire snapped. Faced with delays and limited options, crews began considering helicopters or third-party drone services to complete the task.
However, a timely call to Powercor’s in-house drone inspection team proved critical. While the team’s usual role involves aerial photography of poles and electrical infrastructure, they quickly adapted one of their drones for the job by attaching a gripping device that could carry and release objects mid-flight.
A pilot then guided the drone—towing a 4mm guide rope attached to a new powerline—across a 300-metre stretch of forest canopy. The rope was delivered to lineworkers stationed at the base of a valley, enabling the team to pull through and secure the new powerline.
The operation restored power to five affected customers and avoided the need for heavy machinery or prolonged site access, reducing both time and environmental impact.
Operational Faults Manager Kevin Kelly said that without the drone, repairs could have taken days and involved a huge amount of effort and machinery to access the site, eliminating any environmental impact to vegetation and the surrounding area.
“The drone has helped us get power back on faster, safer and at lower cost. It was a fantastic partnership between our local crews from Colac and our in-house drone team.” Mr Kelly said.
“Powercor’s Remote Inspections Operations Manager, Mustafa Mustafa, said the repair work in Deans Marsh was a huge milestone for the network’s capabilities.”
“We are continuing to find new ways to use drones that are delivering real benefits to our customers,” Mr Mustafa said.
“Our team’s ability to navigate tough terrain to help our field crew shows how drones can improve safety, speed up operations, and restore power to customers faster.
“This is a milestone in using cutting-edge technology to support our crews and our communities more effectively.” he said.
New capability builds on the extensive activities the in-house drone team is already delivering.
Powercor set up the team last year to inspect power pole tops in high-risk bushfire areas, providing an extra layer of protection alongside our existing asset inspection and maintenance program.
The work is over and above the broader program that involves inspecting and maintaining more than 77,000 kilometres of powerlines, 602,000 power poles and other infrastructure on a rolling cycle of at least 2.5 years.
Powercor distributes electricity to around 930,000 customers – or more than 1.75 million Victorians across the western suburbs of Melbourne and through central and western Victoria to the South Australian and New South Wales borders.
