Drone hoisting improves grid maintenance in mountains

State Grid Kezhou Power Supply Co has completed its first local use of drone-based material hoisting for live-line maintenance in Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, as part of efforts to improve grid operation and maintenance in mountainous areas.

The company used a DJI FC100 heavy-lift drone to deliver maintenance tools to a transmission tower on the 220-kilovolt Gai-Ao Line in Oyitak township, Akto county.

The tower is located across the Gaizi River, where loose riverbank soil, steep slopes and a lack of access roads had long made manual transport difficult.

Many transmission lines in the prefecture run through mountainous areas with deep gullies and steep terrain. Some towers are difficult to reach by road, increasing the workload and safety risks for maintenance crews.

Previously, workers had to carry about 70 kilograms of insulated ladders, ropes and other tools into the mountains on foot. A one-way trip usually took three to four hours and exposed them to risks such as landslides and falls on steep slopes.

The drone transported all required tools in two trips, crossing the Gaizi River and delivering the materials accurately to the tower site. The process took about 30 minutes, allowing workers to carry out defect-removal tasks, including installing split pins and tightening U-bolts on suspension clamps.

"Drone transport reduces the need for manual carrying in mountainous terrain and allows workers to focus on equipment maintenance," said Wu Hao, the on-site work supervisor. "It has improved both safety and efficiency."

The operation cut material transport time from three to four hours to 30 minutes, improving efficiency nearly sevenfold and reducing mountain-operation safety risks by more than 80 percent, according to the company.

Kezhou Power Supply Co said it will further refine drone hoisting procedures and expand the use of heavy-lift drones in mountain inspections, emergency repairs and material transport.