March of the Machines

The robots are coming. What was once science fiction has become reality – and there is every chance we will see more and more of them in coming years.

Drones and robots are already being used in place of humans to inspect power lines, wind turbines, solar panels, and giant boilers. The benefits of these unmanned technologies are clear: They improve work safety and enhance operational efficiency, especially when they replace humans in challenging and dangerous working conditions, such as in inspecting underwater equipment in generation units or transmission lines 50 metres above ground.

Today, drones and robots contribute significantly to maintaining power supply reliability as the inspections they conduct are essential to ensure the condition and integrity of the assets, which are critical for a reliable electricity supply.

CLP has been using drones and robots in its Hong Kong operations increasingly since 2018 for plant and equipment inspections. Before the introduction of robots, for instance, divers were hired to inspect cooling water culverts – underwater structures that supply sea water to power generation units for cooling. 

The structures require regular inspections as they are subjected to the continuous impact of waves and tides. Since late 2019, divers have been replaced by underwater inspection robots by CLP in Hong Kong, resulting in greater safety, shorter inspection times, and reduced asset downtime…

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