27-05-2025
Vermont Electric Cooperative will use drones for June inspections
JOHNSON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – People watching the skies in northern Vermont next month might see more than just birds and planes.
Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) announced Friday that they will be making use of a fleet of drones to help with inspections of overhead power lines in over half of the towns in their service area. VEC already uses drones in a limited capacity to perform tasks like assessing damage after natural disasters and keeping aerial photographs up to date. They estimate that the drones have saved them $50,000 to $60,000 a year already.
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The full list of towns where the drones will be used in inspections in June is on the VEC website. The cooperative has said that the drones will only take pictures of VEC property, and that they are 'committed to protection of privacy'.
'Instead of having to have a damage assessor and walk all those lines… we can cover a lot of ground in a very short amount of time,' said VEC chief operating officer Peter Rossi in a web presentation in March.
One disadvantage that the drones have, at least when it comes to responding to natural disaster conditions, is that they can't fly in extreme weather conditions, such as when it's very windy out. But they say that the technology is improving.
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'In a storm event, right, you're not going to fly them. In a 40 mile an hour wind or more,' said operations supervisor Shawn Juaire. But, VEC said, they wouldn't likely be able to send a helicopter out in those conditions either, if an aerial view were needed.
VEC is able to use the drones through a contract with 3D mapping company Firmatek. The use of drones is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
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