Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company (MahaTransco) has decided to increase the use of drones for the inspection of power lines and transmission towers in the state. Drones, which will be equipped with ultra HD cameras, can take high resolution close up photographs and videos of the transmission towers and their components. This allows better assessment of faults to conduct repairs.
MahaTransco's decision comes after it received clearance from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Director General of Civil Aviation to use drones for aerial surveillance and inspection of extra high voltage (EHV) Lines and towers. MahaTransco has 660 EHV substations, 46217.90 Ckt kms of transmission lines that is capable of handling over 21,000 mw of power.
Energy Minister Dr Nitin Raut said, ''Drones have the potential to revolutionise the way we inspect our power lines and transmission towers. Using drones can slash costs for maintenance and reduce losses from outages. Drones allow aerial surveillance, which is more efficient than manual survey of power lines. It will help to detect defects at the incipient stage in transmission lines.'' Raut informed that the Centre has recently appreciated MahaTransco for using drones.
