Unitil Corporation, a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England has launched a new inspection program designed to proactively locate possible trouble spots along electric lines before they cause outages.
The pilot program, which began on September 6, involves driving the entirety of Unitil’s electric infrastructure in the state of New Hampshire and inspecting the lines with infrared equipment.
“If a piece of electric equipment is starting to degrade or corrode, it will give off a little bit more heat when compared to more healthy equipment,” Unitil media relations manager Alec O’Meara said. “The infrared technology should be able to detect this difference in heat, allowing us to identify and address otherwise invisible problems before they cause trouble.”
Similar technology has been used by Unitil to inspect substations as well as the sub-transmission system, but this is the first time the same method has been used on distribution lines. While the inspection is ongoing, Unitil advises its customers to be aware of these vehicles as they travel in and around local neighborhoods.
“If one was unaware of the ongoing inspection, seeing a Unitil truck moving slowly through a neighborhood may seem a little out of the ordinary,” O’Meara said. “We want to make sure people are aware that we are out there looking for potentially troublesome equipment before it ends up causing an outage.”
The inspection is being done for Unitil by Osmose Utility Services Inc., a third party contractor, and is expected to be completed this fall.
