Powercor sends LiDAR helicopters across Greater Bendigo for powerline inspections

Helicopters will be flying over the city for another two weeks, fitted with advanced Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to accurately scan for trees and branches growing near to powerlines.

This information is fed back to experienced teams that will cut the vegetation away from powerlines to keep the network and community safe.

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Powercor Head of Vegetation Management Chris Heinz said the program was a critical part of keeping the network safe and reliable for customers.

"Our work is about reducing the risk of trees and branches coming into contact with powerlines, which can lead to power outages and fires," he said.

"By inspecting the entire network every year, we are able to determine where and when we need to cut trees and branches away from powerlines."

Teams then attend each site, both on private and public property, to assess and scope what cutting needs to occur.

If crews are required to cut trees on private property, Powercor will notify customers in advance of any cutting unless the work needs to occur immediately for safety reasons.

"We work closely with our contractors to ensure branches are kept clear of powerlines, allowing for expected growth rates," Mr Heinz said.

"Last year we cut vegetation back from more than 60,000 powerline spans and with this summer's wetter conditions, we expect to do just as much, if not more, in 2022."

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Mr Heinz said Powercor had made significant investments towards improving its vegetation management in recent years, including bringing its aerial capacity and LiDAR data analysis in-house.

"We're able to use the data from our LiDAR helicopter scans to form a 3D model of the network, where our teams can identify branches requiring trimming," he said.

Headed up by a team of highly qualified pilots, the Powercor flights are taking place this month across the Greater Bendigo region.

Weather permitting, the Bell 505 helicopters fly at an altitude of just over 300 metres, capturing enormous amounts of data to form an accurate image of powerlines across the region.

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