In order to carry out an aerial examination of transmission lines and equipment, the Omaha Public Power District is doing it for the first first time with the assistance of a drone.
A news release states that aerial surveys, which are often carried out by helicopter, are an integral element of the routine maintenance that OPPD does on its system.
Transmission lines will be surveyed by drone.
The most recent survey will begin on Monday, March 20, and, depending on the weather, will take between five and ten days to finish. Customers in the metropolitan region of Omaha and farther south, up to Nebraska City, may witness unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) flying near electricity infrastructure during this time frame.
This particular survey is a component of a program that is carried out on an annual basis to examine the clearances of transmission lines. In addition to that, the drone will collect data from the Lidar system for us to utilize in our planning and design.
Throughout the 13 counties that are served by OPPD, there are a total of 1,344 miles of transmission lines, of which about 100 miles will be inspected. The information that is collected will not only assist OPPD in evaluating line clearances, but it will also give models that may be used by the company in the future when developing infrastructure to handle development and load increase.