Powerline helicopters inspect Peninsula
Helicopters flew over the Peninsula assessing power poles and powerlines on February 11 and 12 as part of Ausgrid's annual bushfire safety program.
General manager Mr Sam Sofi said the bushfire safety program was a vital part of Ausgrid's summer readiness plan.
He said the helicopter crews were using radar imaging equipment and high-resolution photographs to identify any hazards on our poles and wires and trees growing too close to powerlines "with an accuracy of within two centimetres".
The helicopters flew between 18 and 55 kmh at about 1000 feet in urban areas.
He claimed the cameras on the helicopters were focused on pole tops only.
"No-one will forget the catastrophic fires of 2019 which caused so much loss of life and property destruction," Mr Sofi said.
"We will be using multiple helicopters and drones as well as a plane this year so we can finish the patrols by the end of June.
Ausgrid's network covers an area of more than 22,000 square kilometres across Sydney, the Central Coast and the Hunter, from Waterfall in the South, west to Auburn and just north of Scone.
SOURCE:
Media release, 17 Feb 2021
Sam Sofi, Ausgrid