Hawaiian Electric Turns to Cyberhawk Drones to Inspect Power Lines for Wildfire Risks

Hawaiian Electric, the largest electric utility in Hawaii, has hired UK-founded drone services company Cyberhawk to inspect its electrical infrastructure from the air. The inspections cover identified wildfire-risk areas on Hawaii Island, in Maui County and on Oahu. The goal is to detect damaged equipment faster and reduce the chance that it sparks a wildfire.

The contract comes at a time of elevated fire risk across the islands. On November 7, as drier air moved into the state, Hawaiian Electric issued a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) notice that also covers the leeward side of Oahu. A PSPS watch had already been in place for Hawaii Island and Maui County. A PSPS means enhanced monitoring of the areas at greatest wildfire risk and signals that the company may need to cut power to limit the danger of a fire starting.

How the inspections work

Cyberhawk is flying Skydio X10 drones fitted with a VT300Z sensor package built for long-range inspection work. According to Anna Dillé, Cyberhawk's vice president of North American operations, the sensor delivers 48-megapixel resolution and lossless zoom of up to 16 times, allowing inspectors to see faults on structures in detail.

Each day, crews receive a work pack mapping out the assets they must inspect, and pilots report through an app whether they captured data for each structure. The data is then analyzed and used to plan the next day's work. The company looks for problems such as damaged or worn insulators and collar keys, and alerts the utility so repairs can be made before further damage occurs.

On Hawaii Island, also known as the Big Island, Cyberhawk works alongside Hawaiian Electric's own staff. Inspections began in mid-October and are scheduled to run through December in parts of Downtown Hilo, North Hilo, Lower Puna, North Kona, North Kohala and Saddle Road. In populated areas, inspection personnel may not enter homes or businesses, although an operator may sometimes need to cross private property to reach a utility pole.

About Cyberhawk

Cyberhawk was co-founded in 2008 by Chris Fleming, a former rope-access inspector on North Sea oil platforms. A subsidiary of Ondas, it has operated in the U.S. since 2021, works in more than 40 countries and performs over 400,000 inspections of electric utility assets a year. The company says it wants to expand further in the European market.