Mon Power Deploys Aerial Saw to Trim Trees in Hard-to-Access Areas
- The use of the aerial saw allows for faster and more efficient tree trimming, covering more area in a day than a ground crew.
- Trimming trees helps prevent power outages associated with severe weather and provides easier access for line inspection and maintenance.
- Helicopter crews have inspected over 2,000 miles of transmission lines, identifying potential reliability issues for prompt addressing.
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The transmission corridors are located in
Maintaining proper clearances around transmission lines and electrical equipment can help prevent or minimize the impact of tree-related power outages, especially those associated with severe weather during the summer and winter storm seasons. Clearing incompatible vegetation under power lines also gives company personnel easier access to inspect and maintain lines and make repairs quicker if an outage occurs.
"Taking this proactive step to protect our high-voltage lines is an important part of our vegetation management program and an effective way to reduce or minimize service interruptions for our customers," said Jim Myers, president of FirstEnergy's
Suspended on a boom beneath the helicopter and equipped with multiple 24-inch rotary blades, the aerial saw is typically deployed along transmission lines in areas that are environmentally sensitive or inaccessible to bucket trucks and other vehicles. This fast, safe and efficient method of trimming typically covers more area in a day than a ground crew might complete in a week. The saw also eliminates the risk of injury to workers using bucket trucks or climbing trees to cut limbs near high-voltage equipment.
The saw cleanly cuts tree limbs 8 to 10 inches in diameter, which fall straight to the ground propelled by air blasts from the helicopter rotors. Ground crews move limbs that have fallen onto roads, yards, agricultural fields or in streams. The ground crew will also flag and stop motorists along roads if the aerial saw is working nearby.
The helicopter flies above and alongside transmission lines and may circle around to perform additional trimming. The pilot communicates with local airport personnel whenever the helicopter is operating within their air space. The helicopter and saw are owned and operated by Aerial Solutions and will work only as weather conditions permit.
In addition to trimming trees, helicopter crews have inspected more than 2,000 miles of transmission lines located in Mon Power's service territory. The inspections are designed to look for damaged wire, broken crossarms, insulator issues and other hardware problems not visible from the ground. Potential reliability issues identified during the inspection will be prioritized and addressed as quickly as possible. Vegetation management aerial patrols are also in progress to inspect vegetation on the transmission corridor.
Mon Power serves about 395,000 customers in 34
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in
Editor's Note: Action photos of the aerial saw are available for download on Flickr. A video explaining FirstEnergy's vegetation management techniques can also be found on YouTube.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.
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