Transgrid has begun aerial stringing on HumeLink, using a mix of helicopters and an Australian-developed drone system to install draw wire and conductors along parts of the 365km transmission project.
The utility said the aerial approach is being used to string more than 9,000km of high-voltage conductor across more than 820 towers between Wagga Wagga and Maragle in the Riverina and Bannaby in the Southern Tablelands.
Infravision is installing the complete draw-wire package across the 140km HumeLink West section using four drone systems. Helicopter work on the eastern alignment is being carried out by Leading Edge Helicopters, with Transgrid indicating helicopter stringing will also be used on parts of the western route, including alpine and steep areas.
Transgrid HumeLink Program Director John Burke said the aerial methods are intended to reduce on-ground disruption for communities and landholders, compared with traditional stringing that can involve dragging conductors between towers using heavy machinery.
Leading Edge Helicopters pilot John Caldwell said the work requires precise manoeuvring to guide draw wires into pulley blocks, and claimed it can be faster than traditional approaches.
Infravision said its drone-based stringing system was developed and commercialised in Australia with Transgrid and other utilities, and is now being deployed in the United States and Canada. The company said the system can operate in winds exceeding 50km/h and in temperatures from below 0°C to above 50°C.
Transgrid said construction is continuing across multiple sites, with 1,800 personnel working on the project and more than 200 towers erected to date. The broader HumeLink program includes new 500kV transmission lines and new or upgraded substation infrastructure at four locations, delivered by joint ventures involving ACCIONA and GenusPlus Group for HumeLink East, and UGL and CPB Contractors for HumeLink West.
The project is designed to connect Snowy 2.0 to the grid. Transgrid said it is on track for completion late next year.
