Network operator Tennet will inspect parts of the Drenthe high-voltage connections with a helicopter next Tuesday. It is the first time in the Netherlands that this has happened.
This concerns the connections between Meppel and Steenwijk and between Hoogeveen and Hardenberg. During the helicopter flight, special cameras and sensors take aerial photographs and scans of the high-voltage lines and pylons.
TenneT expects to use this data to gain better insight into the above-ground part of the electricity grid and to organize management and maintenance more efficiently. Until now, the inspection of the high-voltage network has still been done manually. According to the grid operator, this is time-consuming and expensive.
The helicopter flies along both sides of the high-voltage connection at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour at a height of approximately 50 meters. That is lower than normal for a helicopter. Due to the possible noise, Tennet recommends keeping animals indoors.
If the approach is successful, Tennet also wants to image the rest of the high-voltage connections in the Netherlands by helicopter. In other countries, for example in mountainous areas, inspection by helicopter has been used for some time.