“Rope Ascender + Drone” Technique Solves Maintenance Challenges for Lake-Island Power Line

On November 5, maintenance personnel from State Grid Jiangxi Ultra High Voltage Company innovatively employed a coordinated “rope ascender (powered climbing device) + medium-sized transport drone” approach to replace a self-ruptured insulator on Tower #61 of a 500 kV transmission line located in the center of Jiangxi’s Jinxi Lake. The precise repair was completed in just one hour.

Maintenance personnel performing repairs using the “rope ascender + drone” method

This operation marks the first time in Jiangxi Province that the “rope ascender” technique has been combined with a medium-sized transport drone for autumn inspection operations. It breaks through the spatial constraints of maintenance in complex environments, promoting the upgrade from single-tool use to integrated digital operations, and provides a replicable model for transmission line maintenance in special terrains such as water bodies and mountainous areas.

The tower is situated 150 meters from the shore in the center of Jinxi Lake and stands 51 meters tall. Traditional maintenance required renting boats, building temporary water platforms, and manually transporting tools via rope hauling — a process taking up to two days and posing risks such as tools falling into the water and challenges to personnel safety.

With the new method, while the operator ascends the tower using the “rope ascender,” the drone simultaneously transports 20 kilograms of tools, including a closed-type clamp and the replacement insulator, ensuring “tools arrive with the personnel” and eliminating waiting time. The ground team monitored the operation in real time via the drone’s live feed, forming a closed-loop management process. The entire operation required only 10 minutes, involved no water work, improved efficiency by more than five times compared to traditional methods, reduced manpower input by 50%, and reduced labor intensity by 80%. (By Shi Ronghui)