KPTCL Drones Cut Power Outages by 85% in Karnataka

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KPTCL Drones Cut Power Outages by 85% in Karnataka

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Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) deployed advanced drone technology equipped with high-resolution cameras, thermal imaging systems, and LiDAR sensors to inspect high-voltage and extra-high-voltage transmission corridors across the state of Karnataka, India. The deployment reduced transmission-related power outages by 85%, with outage incidents falling from 519 to 73 across inspected corridors. State Energy and Tourism Minister K J George said: 'By deploying drones equipped with thermal imaging and LiDAR technologies, we can now conduct comprehensive 360-degree inspections of transmission assets in a fraction of the time. Achieving an 85 per cent reduction in outages through inspection-led intervention is a major milestone in KPTCL's digital transformation journey.' V Ram Prasath Manohar, Managing Director of KPTCL, framed the operational shift: 'This predictive maintenance model is making Karnataka's transmission grid more resilient and reliable while ensuring uninterrupted power supply to farmers, industries and consumers, besides enhancing the safety of field personnel.' At operational scale, the initiative has enabled inspection of more than 11,000 transmission towers and over 3,370 km of transmission lines, identifying and rectifying more than 1.5 lakh (150,000) technical defects. More than 200 critical defects were rectified through five coordinated batch maintenance windows, minimising service disruptions. Thermal imaging cameras identify abnormal heat signatures and hotspots caused by loose electrical connections or deteriorating equipment, enabling preventive maintenance before failures occur. The drones inspect transmission towers, conductors, and insulators passing through dense forests, hilly regions, and urban areas — locations previously difficult and high-risk for manual crews. This addresses Karnataka's nearly 45,000-km transmission network, which conventional inspection methods struggled to cover efficiently. Future direction: data collected through drone surveys is being integrated into KPTCL's digital asset management system and will be linked to the corporation's proposed Digital Twin Platform for real-time monitoring of the transmission network from its central control room at the new Energy Bhavan.