General News
24 May, 2026
Aerial scans of powerlines
HELICOPTERS are scanning powerlines around Horsham and the Wimmera as part of Powercor’s year-round bushfire mitigation and vegetation management program.
HELICOPTERS are scanning powerlines around Horsham and the Wimmera as part of Powercor’s year-round bushfire mitigation and vegetation management program.
The inspections will continue for the next month, with Horsham, Nhill, Warracknabeal, Edenhope, Ararat, Stawell and Murtoa, among the areas being scanned.
The choppers fly about 300 metres above the ground and use technology known as Light Detection and Ranging to scan the distance between tree branches and powerlines.
Using LiDAR data, Powercor teams create 3D models of powerlines and their surroundings, helping inform which vegetation needs to be cut.
Powercor vegetation management head, Ayce Cordy, said it was important to take accurate measurements of all vegetation 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.”
More information can be found online at bit.ly/4tRIwXE.