South Central Power to examine lines from helicopters

CHILLICOTHE – South Central Power Co. has announced it will begin aerial assessments of its 300 miles of transmission line across its service territory March 5 to identify areas in need of repair to minimize future outages.

The cooperative has contracted with Haverfield Aviation Inc., of Pennsylvania, to perform two types of aerial inspections. The work entails Haverfield’s helicopters flying along South Central Power’s transmission lines, including those in the Scioto Valley, as well as hovering as low as 5 feet above the lines and around its power poles.

Haverfield will conduct infrared inspections using thermal imaging technology to detect hot spots in the core of the transmission lines.

“Infrared inspections help us find, and subsequently repair, problems on our transmission lines before the line fails and causes an outage,” said Chris Hall, South Central Power’s operations superintendent.

In addition, the process involves comprehensive visual inspections using the naked eye and digital cameras that capture high-resolution images to show construction in need of repair, the condition of the conductor and hardware components that need to be replaced.

Transmission lines carry up to 69,000 volts of electricity to substations that provide power to South Central Power’s members.

“The helicopter makes two passes along the transmission line, as well as completely around each pole. Knowing what needs attention helps us prioritize maintenance work. That’s key to improving system reliability, so members experience fewer outages,” said Tom Musick, the cooperative’s vice president of engineering and operations.

South Central Power is Ohio’s largest electric cooperative, serving nearly 116,000 locations in 24 Ohio counties.