ENWL043 - VOLT
ENWL043 - VOLT
SP Electricity North West (SP ENW) operates a geographically extensive overhead line (OHL) network spanning over 12,000 km, much of which is in rural and hard-to-access areas. Maintaining network reliability across this dispersed infrastructure presents ongoing operational challenges, particularly in relation to fault identification and routine asset inspection. Traditional approaches rely heavily on ground-based patrols and manual inspections, which can be resource-intensive, time-consuming, and constrained by access limitations, especially during adverse weather events.
When faults occur, rapid identification of their location and root cause is critical to restoring supply and minimising customer impact. However, current processes often involve dispatching field teams with limited prior situational awareness, which can lead to delays in diagnosis and extended outages. These challenges are exacerbated during storm events, where access to affected assets may be delayed due to flooding, debris, or road closures, reducing visibility for field engineers and increasing fault clearance times.
Recent advancements in unmanned aerial systems, combined with an evolving regulatory landscape, have created new opportunities to address these challenges. In particular, Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations enable remote, rapid, and repeatable inspection of network assets, as well as the identification of fault locations and causes over long distances.
Project VOLT aims to assess the feasibility and potential value of integrating BVLOS drone operations into SP ENW’s network operations. The project focuses on evaluating the technical, operational, and regulatory requirements needed to enable scalable deployment of drone-based inspection workflows. In doing so, it will determine how these capabilities can enhance fault response, enable more proactive asset management, and improve network resilience, particularly for customers in remote or vulnerable situations.
Timescale: October 2025 - September 2026