State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Company Limited: Drones Boost Power Grid O&M Quality and Efficiency

On October 17, State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Company Limited innovatively deployed drones to transport maintenance materials in Yan'an. Leveraging "aerial transport capacity," the company overcame the terrain challenges of the Loess Plateau, enabling efficient and intelligent maintenance operations that improved both the quality and efficiency of power grid operations across Shaanxi.

Yan'an is known for its rugged terrain of loess highlands and intersecting ravines, making it difficult for vehicles to access certain transmission tower sites. In traditional maintenance operations, materials such as insulators had to be manually carried over mountains and across gullies—an approach that not only increased labor costs and reduced efficiency but also posed risks of damage to the materials.

To address these challenges, State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Company Limited proactively established a dedicated drone maintenance team. They conducted comprehensive surveys of the site environment and weather conditions, refined operational plans through repeated data analysis, and selected high-payload, high-precision drones for the task. During the operation, drones lifted and transported insulators as instructed, flying accurately to the designated towers to hand materials over to ground personnel. Multiple round trips were made to deliver both insulators and tool kits, with the entire process proceeding smoothly and under full control.

According to statistics, the operation involved a total of 33 drone flights over 4.5 hours, transporting 165 tempered glass insulators with a total weight exceeding 900 kilograms. Compared with manual transportation, the drone-assisted approach reduced operation time by nearly 55%, significantly improving efficiency while minimizing safety risks and material losses—achieving breakthroughs in both productivity and safety.

Drone-based Transportation of Maintenance Materials

Drone-based Transportation of Maintenance Materials

Electric Power Workers Inspect Drone Lifting Equipment