Aerial Works
Why do we do helicopter and drone operations?
TLC uses drones and helicopters to carry out aerial inspections of our lines, poles and other equipment across the network.
We use helicopters and/or drones to check for faults, hazards and what condition our lines are in.
Flying the lines is fast, cost-effective and spots things that can’t be seen in our ground inspections such as a loose cross-arms, or rot at the very top of a pole. Using helicopters and drones is also very efficient across some of our more rugged terrain.
Any issues seen are logged for action, helping us maintain a safe, reliable network and uninterrupted supply for our customers.
All flights follow strict safety and operational procedures and are timed for after calving and lambing, with faults flights made as required.
Our inspection season is underway so look out for our flying visits in your area.
January locations:
We will be flying a drone in the Mokau coastal area from Monday 6 January to end January, weather permitting.
Frequently asked questions
Why are these inspections taking place?
The inspections will provide TLC with valuable information on the condition of electrical assets, helping us to identify areas needing maintenance, repairs, or even replacement.
The aerial inspections replace the time-consuming process of our crews manually inspecting hard-to-reach electrical equipment such as power poles. In the past, this took our team up to 15 years to reach every pole on the network.
Where will the aircraft be flying?
The aircraft will cover locations across the entire TLC network, traversing around 4,000km of power lines throughout the operation.
What aircraft are you using?
We will use a helicopter to fly over rural areas and drones for urban areas. We are using quieter drone aircraft in urban areas to minimise disruption.
What are the aircraft inspecting?
The aircraft will inspect around 43,000 poles on the TLC network, including cross-arms, insulator conductors, pole top switches, power lines and transformers.
Where will the data collected from the inspections be stored?
The visual footage taken of our equipment will be stored securely for use by our network team. The content will provide our team with valuable information on the condition of electrical assets on the network, helping us to identify areas needing maintenance, repairs, or even replacement.
Will any private information or private photos be collected?
No. The drones and helicopters will take photos of our electricity poles only. No private images or private information will be collected or stored. All data will be stored in our secure systems with cyber security protection.
How will the flights take place?
The helicopter conducts a high-level passes over the area where our power poles and lines are situated. This is to check for potential hazards and livestock within the area. It also gives landowners a heads up that a survey is in progress. Once the check is complete and no hazards and livestock have been identified, the helicopter will survey the electrical assets at a low level.
For more information on our aerial works, call our friendly customer team on 0800 367 546.