How Helicopters and Chainsaws are Helping One Utility Reduce Outages
MonPower, a FirstEnergy company, is pursuing a unique approach to utility tree trimming and by extension, keeping the lights on – the company is using huge chainsaws attached to helicopters for vegetation management purposes.
This is truly an innovative approach, and one that I have personally never heard of before, which makes it a perfect topic for a blog post!
The Benefits of Using Chainsaw-Equipped Helicopters for Tree Trimming
According to MonPower officials, this method can trim more trees in a day than ground workers can in a week. This is especially true in the rural areas of West Virginia where the company operates, as much of the region is mountainous and difficult to access.
It also reduces the chances of someone getting injured, because employees don’t need to rely on bucket trucks or climbing trees near transmission lines. This alone makes it a worthwhile endeavor, as employee safety is obviously the most important goal of them all.
The company is utilizing 2 helicopters, both MD 500s, to trim trees along 187 miles of high-transmission lines in West Virginia from July to September 2021. The choppers are not owned by MonPower, rather, they are owned and operated by a company called Aerial Solutions under contract.
Although these operations are just a small part of the company’s total vegetation management plan (it has budgeted $70 million this year to trim trees along 5,700 miles of transmission & distribution lines in WV), it’s a good start and will likely expand in future years.
The bottom line is that anything that can help reduce outages is welcomed and appreciated. Vegetation management is one of the most important things to do in order to improve reliability, and therefore it’s a perfect candidate for finding more efficient ways to execute. Whether we’re talking about helicopters, drones, or flying robots, aerial-based solutions definitely seem like the wave of the future.
