Hon. Sophia Moermond asks about Western Power's drone program, specifically the size of their drone fleet and the results of a trial using drones to apply silicone to insulators. The parliamentary secretary provides answers confirming the fleet size and the success of the trial, with commercial options being explored.

AnsweredQoN 1453Legislative Council
Asked
12 November 2024
Portfolio
Energy

QuestionView source ↗

WESTERN POWER — DRONES
1453. Hon SOPHIA MOERMOND to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Energy:
I refer to the announcement that
Western Power will be deploying 24 drones this summer to assist with the maintenance
of the state's energy reliability.
(1) How many drones make up Western
Power's squadron in total?
(2) Has there
been any feedback on the trial exploring whether drone technology can be used
to remotely apply silicone to live insulators to reduce the risk of pole-top
fires?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the honourable member for
some notice of another very good question. On behalf of the Minister for
Energy, I provide the following answer.
(1) Western Power owns 24 drones.
(2) A drone
silicone application trial was successfully completed in April 2024. Western
Power is currently exploring commercial
options to utilise drones for live silicone application to reduce the risk of
pole-top fires.

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