Electricity

Kosovo’s DSO KEDS starts using drones to monitor grid

keds kosovo drones distribution grid

Photo: KEDS

Published

October 24, 2022

Country

Comments

comments icon

0

Share

Published:

October 24, 2022

Country:

Comments:

comments icon

0

Share

Kosovo’s distribution system operator (DSO) KEDS has started monitoring power distribution grid with drones. The company said it expects the activity would improve the reliability of supply to consumers and that it plans to use unmanned aerial vehicles for monitoring all parts of the network from January.

KEDS has launched a pilot project for using drones. They were activated in late September and early October above the Keqekolla and Restelica 10 kV lines, the company said.

The facilities are located in mountainous terrain, which makes the job difficult for KEDS’ teams, especially after heavy rainfalls or during strong winds. The new technology will help reduce the risks for field workers and shorten the time of data acquisition and intervention in the rehabilitation of the power network or eventual breakdowns, said the utility, owned by Çalık Holding and Limak Holding from Turkey.

The pilot project will be expanded in January to all overhead lines in the distribution system

The pilot project will be expanded in January to all overhead lines in the distribution system, at 6 kV, 10 kV, 20 kV and 35 kV. The aim is to discover defects that can cause breakdowns and power outages, KEDS explained.

The company said it hired specialized contractors, but it declined to identify them. They will cooperate with the department of system operations at KEDS.

The drones are controlled from a distance of up to eight kilometers

The drones are controlled from a distance of up to eight kilometers. They take high-resolution photos and videos to determine the technical condition of the distribution network.

The footage will help maintain the grid and improve investment decisions.

The system uses software called uBird for detailed reporting. The results are classified according to the severity of damage and the intervention emergency level, the company said.

KEDS operates a network of more than 20,000 kilometers with 7,500 substations. Kosovo’s DSO supplies around 485,000 customers.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

bih republic of srpska hydropower plants bistrica tunnels petar djokic

Three hydropower plants on Bistrica river to be finished by end-2026

18 April 2025 - Chinese company AVIC is in charge of building the three hydropower plants on the Bistrica, with a total capacity of 39 MW

albania france kesh afd drin hydropower energy storage

Albania’s KESH, France’s AFD sign MoU on hydropower management, energy storage 

18 April 2025 - KESH and Agence Française de Développement have signed an MoU on the Drin cascade management and advanced energy storage planning

bih federation ephzhb court poklecani urban permit arhaus

Supreme Court of Federation of BiH annulls urban permit for Poklečani wind farm

17 April 2025 - The project is being developed by Elektroprivreda HZHB, one of the three state-owned power utilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Minister Admir Sahmanović formally assumes energy, mining portfolio in Montenegro

Minister Admir Šahmanović formally assumes energy, mining portfolio in Montenegro

17 April 2025 - Minister of Energy and Mining of Montenegro Admir Šahmanović was formally voted in as the two ministries that he ran were merged