The Federal Aviation Administration has granted San Diego Gas & Electric approval to use drones for aerial inspections of the utility’s electric and gas facilities throughout its service territory in San Diego and southern Orange counties.
SDG&E is the second utility in the nation to be granted what the FAA calls “Section 333” approval for use of unmanned aircraft systems, commonly called UAS or drones. Only 69 projects have been approved nationwide.
“The utility industry is rapidly changing and this new FAA approval is another milestone that will improve the way SDG&E conducts its operations,” said John Sowers, SDG&E’s vice president of electric distribution operations.
“The new UAS technology will enable us to improve response times to emergency situations, inspect our electric and gas facilities in remote areas that are otherwise difficult to access, reduce the use of manned helicopters, enhance overall employee and public safety, and locate the cause of power outages faster.”
In 2014, SDG&E was granted approval by the FAA to test a small drone in a sparsely populated airspace in eastern San Diego County.
Measuring 16 inches in diameter and weighing less than a pound, the drones use a camera to inspect utility equipment and relay live images back to the controller. The drones can access remote infrastructure and alert utility crews if repairs are needed.
The Sempra Energy subsidiary must inspect more than 26,000 miles of power lines for safety and to ensure the electric grid is operating smoothly.
The FAA has been criticized for not moving more quickly to permit American companies to use drones for commercial purposes.
