National Grid Introduces Centralized Autonomous Drone Inspections for Transmission Network
National Grid has begun using a centralized, autonomous drone system to inspect its electricity transmission network in England and Wales. The technology, developed by sees.ai, follows a four-year innovation program and moves from trial to full-scale operation.
The drones, flown Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) from a central control room, will capture images and data of high-voltage towers and conductors. This information will support National Grid’s maintenance and investment plans. The system is intended to complement existing inspection methods such as helicopter flights and on-site assessments.
According to National Grid, automated drone inspections can increase the speed and consistency of data collection while reducing costs, environmental impacts, and the need for human presence near live infrastructure. The approach also allows skilled line workers and helicopter crews to focus on tasks that require direct human involvement.
The rollout builds on collaboration with the UK Civil Aviation Authority, whose October 2024 policy update allows drones to operate BVLOS at low heights near infrastructure or buildings. Government support helped sees.ai progress from early research to a commercial partnership with National Grid.
Science Minister, Lord Vallance, said, “We want to see more innovations like drone technology becoming viable solutions that benefit people’s lives, which is why our Regulatory Innovation Office is working with companies and regulators like the Civil Aviation Authority to cut unnecessary red tape and unlock discoveries which can grow our economy.”
Kathryn Fairhurst, Overhead Line Operations Director at National Grid said, “This rollout underscores our commitment to use innovative technologies to manage and upgrade our network, By handling non-intrusive inspection tasks, this technology enables our highly skilled lineworkers to focus more efficiently on the complex, hands-on work that requires human expertise, and will form an important part of how we continue to manage our assets and deliver a safe and reliable network.”