- The Summer Campaign undertaken by e-distribución, Endesa's Networks subsidiary, includes felling and pruning, thermographic inspections and improvements to the network with an investment of €58.3 million this year.
- The objective is to protect the forest masses surrounding the power lines and guarantee the quality and continuity of the electricity supply.
- In the last year, thermographic inspections have been undertaken on nearly 50,500 kilometres of lines.
To guarantee the quality and continuity of the electricity supply and minimise the risk of fire in the forest masses surrounding the power lines. That is the objective of the work being done by e-distribución, Endesa's network subsidiary, to ensure that the installations are ready when the summer arrives. A combination of helicopters, drones, R+D and field work to protect the natural environment that coexists with power lines in what they are calling the Summer Campaign, in which Endesa will invest €58.3 million this year.
"We are working all year long to make sure everything is ready when the summer comes. The Summer Campaign is based on three pillars: Felling and pruning trees in the vicinity of power lines, inspecting lines to make the most of preventive maintenance and actions taken on the network to ensure the continuity of the electricity supply and minimise the risk of incidents," said José Manuel Revuelta, Endesa's General Manager of Networks.
The cleaning and care of the forest mass that grows around the electricity grid, the use of helicopters to continuously and regulatory undertake thermography, HD videos, visual inspections and an exhaustive review of all the company's installations throughout the territory where Endesa manages the distribution network (Catalonia, Andalusia, Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Aragón and Badajoz), which adds up to almost 318,000 kilometres of lines, the equivalent of circling the Earth eight times.
Felling and pruning
60% of the power lines managed by Endesa are overhead lines and therefore coexist to a certain extent with wooded areas and vegetation. That is why one of the essential tasks is the selective felling and pruning of the forest mass consisting of trees, undergrowth and shrubs that grow around the power lines, respecting the space stipulated by the Administration between the forest and the nearest cables. This work is done following the criteria of collaboration with agents in each territory and will represent an investment of €17.3 million this year.
The creation of corridors under and around the power lines that act as natural firebreaks is an essential task to which new elements are incorporated every year including a remote-controlled brush cutting machine that improves the safety and health conditions of the people who undertake felling and pruning work.
Endesa also has a mobile application to report incidents in situ that could lead to a forest fire. The objective of the tool is to indicate any element located around the electrical infrastructures that may pose a risk to the natural environment (plant debris, an uncontrolled landfill, etc.). This application enables a file to be automatically generated with the geographical coordinates and which is used to notify incidents to the corresponding authority so the potential threat can be removed.
LIDAR Technology
Another of the actions taken is using lasers to scan 100% of high voltage overhead lines with a combination of GPS technology and laser sensors, called LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). This system creates a computer file with a cloud of georeferenced points that uses an application to enable the measurement of the distances between the cables and the vegetation, as well as to conduct studies of growth of the forest mass which provides very useful information when planning work on selective felling and pruning. A new feature in this year's forest campaign is the incorporation of drones with this technology that creates a 3D map of the network and the area surrounding it.
Use of helicopters: Thermal imaging and HD videos
As a preventive measure, the company's maintenance programmes for the power lines include inspections by helicopter, where thermal imaging cameras and high definition videos are recorded that are then used to inspect them in detail and the information is processed in an increasingly semi-automatic way (applying machine learning) and automatic (deep learning) techniques. Once the photographs and thermograms obtained in the inspections have been received, the information becomes part of a large database that enables the most common problems to be identified.
Thermographic inspections
Thermography consists of flying over the power lines with a helicopter equipped with an infrared camera, which records the cable and detects whether or not there is a hot spot (with a temperature higher than that of the cable itself, that is, with a risk of overheating). This is impossible to detect with the naked eye and it can indicate a malfunction of the wiring due to premature deterioration resulting from the action of mainly meteorological adverse effects. When an anomaly such as a "hot spot" is detected, the coordinates are recorded and the mechanism is automatically activated so it can be fixed quickly. This predictive, preventative maintenance programme helps avoid possible future incidents.
Thermographic inspections will not only be conducted by helicopter, but will also be complemented by aerial eye checks at the foot of the line to make a comprehensive review of the 50,500 kilometres of lines in 2023. Throughout this year, people on foot and in an all-terrain vehicle equipped with a special camera will make a thermographic inspection of the lines at points where there is most risk, such as where they cross motorways, main roads and railways. The total investment for these inspections is €4.8 million.
Use of drones and visual inspections
Endesa also uses drones to check the status of the electricity grid. They are equipped with gyroscopically stabilised high-resolution cameras that enable images of the lines to be captured, especially at points of difficult access, and they do not need to interrupt the service to customers. A drone with LIDAR technology has been added to those with standard technology: Those with conventional optics and devices that also undertake thermography.
Drones make it possible to speed up detailed visual inspections of aerial wiring elements, since the power does not need to be shut down for technicians to examine the infrastructure, which improves service continuity, and at the same time is safer.
E-distribución has also started using them to verify the width of the corridors and safety paths that pass under and beside the line and that act as firewalls, so they can be used to audit logging and pruning, and can perform aerial surveys of the terrain in case of an emergency.
Network improvements and new technologies
One of the key factors for the electricity system to work properly is the improvement of the network. So every year the company invests in new technologies such as the application or processing of information by means of machine and/or deep learning, as well as in the renovation of existing infrastructures in order to avoid variations and incidents in the continuity of supply. Special attention is paid to low-voltage lines (replacing conventional cables with twisted cables), the medium-voltage grid, and reinforcing connectors, insulators, lightning conductors and other protective devices. Also to conduct thorough inspections of all the installations.
This year more than €36 million will be allocated to these improvements.
About Endesa
Endesa is a leading electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. The company is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an end-to-end electricity generation, distribution and marketing business. Through Endesa X, it also offers value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy usage in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. It is also the leading operator of charging stations in Spain through Endesa X Way, a business line dedicated entirely to electric mobility. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitalisation of grids through e-distribución, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. Our workforce numbers about 9,260 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.