Maintaining the power distribution grid

The power distribution grid enables electricity to reach your home, which is why Endesa ensures it maintains and improves this essential element in the communities in which it operate as the distribution company. Our aim is to guarantee power supply continuity and constantly improve the safety of the installations.

Perhaps you have asked yourself at some point what the power grid maintenance and improvement tasks involve. Tasks can be grouped together as follows:

On the one hand, are the woodland tasks: felling, pruning, clearance works and working on areas in which the power grids run, in order to create safety corridors below the lines thus minimising the risk of fires.

We also carry out thorough inspections of all our installations: high, medium and low voltage lines, substations, protection and remote-control systems, distribution centres, remotely controlled operating points, etc. These inspections are carried out with drones equipped with high-resolution cameras in hard-to-reach areas, which enable images of the lines to be captured and the condition of the infrastructures to be verified without interrupting the supply. 

Infrared cameras installed on helicopters are also used in thermographic inspections, which can detect elements with temperatures considered higher than normal. This enables the coordinates to be recorded and the mechanism to correct it is automatically activated.

LIDAR light and distance detection systems have also been included in this series of techniques. These enable three-dimensional maps of the forests surrounding the power grid to be carried out using GPS technology combined with laser sensors and the lines can be mapped to verify whether the distance between the woodland or any close object and the power lines is the correct distance.

Grid improvements are essential in order to ensure the electricity system works correctly and this is the main reason for us investing in the study, developing and applying new technologies, as well as modernising existing infrastructures and training our technicians. This will enable us to not only guarantee the continuity of the supply, but also the quality of our service.