Madhya Pradesh adopts drone-based patrolling of transmission lines

 Madhya Pradesh Power Transmission Company Ltd (MPPTCL) has become the first state transmission utility to adopt drone patrolling of overhead transmission lines, on a large scale.

In a release, MPPTCL said that extra high-voltage (EHV) transmission lines and tower corridors in Madhya Pradesh are now being monitored through an advanced drone-based inspection system, replacing the conventional and risk-prone foot-patrolling model.

MPPTCL has deployed this technology extensively across its network, marking a significant leap toward precision maintenance, operational safety, and system reliability. The state is the first in India to adopt drone patrolling on such a large scale, the release said.

The Madhya Pradesh state utility currently uses drones to monitor more than 10,000 ckm of EHV lines and over 23,000 transmission towers, enabling real-time identification of structural, mechanical, and thermal anomalies.

The shift to aerial digital inspection has contributed to a steady decline in transmission breakdowns, strengthening grid stability across Madhya Pradesh, the release observed.

 

Successful Pilot

The state utility initiated drone surveillance in 2022, initially focusing on dense forests, river-crossing spans, and other inaccessible locations. After successful pilots, MPPTCL formally launched routine drone patrolling in October 2022, covering 10,000 towers in the first phase. Today, the coverage has expanded to the entire major transmission network, including Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior, and Rewa zones.

 

Supreme efficiency

Traditional monitoring of EHV lines — often 45m to 50m high and passing through mountainous, forested, or riverine terrain — demanded significant manual effort and posed safety challenges. Drone-based inspection has transformed this process. High-resolution optical zoom cameras and thermal imaging sensors enable rapid scanning of long transmission stretches, capturing defects such as hotspot formation, conductor-strand damage, insulator cracks, and vegetation encroachment within minutes.

 

Reduction in breakdowns

According to MPPTCL, the transition to drone-assisted inspections has resulted in a 35 per cent reduction in transmission breakdowns over the past three years. The availability of precise, geo-tagged visual and thermal data has improved maintenance planning and enabled faster fault rectification, resulting in enhanced reliability of power supply.

 

Inspiring other states

The drone patrolling initiative has attracted interest from several states, including Haryana and Punjab, which have approached MP Transco to understand its methodology, operational framework, and technical specifications. The initiative also earned MPPTCL the first position among power utilities nationwide for innovative field practices last year, the release observed.

 

The next step: Harnessing AI

The state transmission service provider is now preparing for the next phase — AI-enabled smart monitoring. Artificial Intelligence algorithms will analyze drone-generated datasets to recognize patterns, predict component failures, and recommend preventive interventions. Once integrated, this will transform the transmission network into a more resilient, digital, and predictive system, the release noted.