SWEPCO has activated drone teams and helicopters to assess damage to power lines across the Louisiana and east Texas service area. This technology provides recovery teams with a faster and safer way to find damaged lines in heavily wooded areas.
To accelerate assessments, SWEPCO deployed helicopter patrols shortly after noon on Sunday, with aircraft launching from the Marshall, Texas and Natchitoches, Louisiana area airports. These helicopters are surveying long stretches of line - including remote and heavily wooded areas - to identify damage that ground crews cannot yet access. This aerial effort is one more way SWEPCO is working to serve customers, providing fast visibility into storm impacts when roads remain icy and hazardous.
At the same time, SWEPCO’s tech-forward drone program is also actively supporting assessment efforts, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach locations. Over the past year, teams across the company including power plants, transmission, telecom and distribution, to name a few, completed FAA drone certification, and that investment is proving critical during Winter Storm Fern’s icy conditions. On-site drone operators can launch quickly once weather allows, giving crews real-time views of damage such as downed lines, broken poles and ice-weighted tree limbs.
“Winter Storm Fern has tested every part of the deep South and certainly challenged our energy infrastructure, but our crews remain committed to getting the lights back on for every customer,” said Adam Keeth, Director, Distribution Engineering and Reliability. “By enlisting helicopter and drone support – these teams help give us eyes in places trucks can’t reach when roads are iced over. It’s one more way we’re using technology to protect our crews, better serve our customers and restore power as quickly as possible.”
As of 1:30 p.m. Monday, crews were working to restore power for about 29,081 SWEPCO customers primarily in northwest Louisiana and northeast Texas. At the peak of the storm, more than 68,900 customers were without power across SWEPCO’s three-state service region.
“We know how difficult it is for any SWEPCO customer to be without power,” Keeth said. “Our teams are working in extremely tough conditions and will not stop until every customer is repowered, and we truly appreciate the patience and support of our customers.”