Advanced autonomous systems provider Ondas Inc. has secured a new three-year agreement with multinational energy company SSE plc to provide specialist drone inspection and surveying across its British electricity territory.
The contract, managed through SSE's regulated networks businesses (SSEN Transmission and SSEN Distribution), includes an extension option for an additional two years. This multi-year service agreement announced on Sept. 28 will enable Ondas’ drone subsidiary, Cyberhawk, to inspect and survey SSE plc’s electricity networks using next-gen defense and security technologies.
According to a company release, SSE will utilize Cyberhawk’s services during inspections of its offshore wind turbines and other offshore renewable generation assets. It expands on a drone program that works to protect thousands of kilometers of critical onshore electricity infrastructure across mainland Britain.
This latest move marks the third consecutive long-term award between the two companies, highlighting a partnership for over 10 years supporting the U.K. market. Alongside field drone operations, SSE also renewed its commitment to Cyberhawk's iHawk global platform. The AI-enabled data management system acts as a centralized hub to leverage aerial inspections to improve workflows and reduce risk associated with manual inspections.
"SSE's electricity networks businesses have consistently been one of the UK's most progressive energy companies when it comes to adopting innovation. We have seen that commitment first-hand through the deployment of drone technology across its networks and, increasingly, through the use of iHawk to turn inspection data into actionable asset intelligence,” said Chris Fleming, CEO at Cyberhawk, in a statement. “The addition of offshore wind inspection further demonstrates the breadth of our partnership with SSE.”
By 2030, SSE reportedly plans to invest more than £33 billion ($43 billion) in energy infrastructure to strengthen its position as one of the U.K.'s leading investors in the utilities sector.
