General News
14 March, 2025
Choppers fly high to check powerlines
Helicopters are scanning powerlines across large parts of central Victoria over the next month, as part of Powercor’s year-round bushfire mitigation and vegetation management program.
People may see and hear the choppers, which fly about 300 metres above the ground and use technology known as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to scan the distance between tree branches and powerlines.
Using the LiDAR data, Powercor teams create 3D models of powerlines and their surroundings, helping to inform what vegetation needs to be cut.
Powercor’s head of vegetation management Ayce Cordy said it was important accurate measurements were taken of all vegetation each and every year.
“Inspecting and managing vegetation growing near powerlines is an essential part of how we keep power safe and reliable for our customers,” he said.
“By capturing data every year, we can track growth rates of vegetation across our network, helping us plan where to cut right now and when we may need to conduct cutting in the future.”
The helicopters will continue in the region until early April, scanning areas such as Bendigo, Castlemaine, Heathcote, Maldon, Maryborough, Avoca, Bridgewater, Redesdale and Inglewood.
Each year Powercor uses a fleet of three helicopters to inspect 100 percent of more than 77,000 kilometres of powerlines across western Victoria.