Northern Powergrid to deploy 50 field-repairable ShadowVu drones
ShadowVu and Northern Powergrid have agreed on a partnership to deploy a new fleet of lightweight industrial drones across the electricity network in northern England.
ShadowVu will supply 50 sub-250g field-repairable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Northern Powergrid by the end of the year under the terms of the partnership.
Deployment of new technology
Northern Powergrid manages the electricity distribution network for around 8 million people across North East England, Yorkshire, and northern Lincolnshire. The company will use ShadowVu's drones for inspection, monitoring, and a range of autonomous missions, including flood assessments and infrastructure checks.
The UAVs provided by ShadowVu are designed to be easily repairable on-site, requiring only minimal tools such as pliers. They are built with high-quality, durable components and feature precision GPS and dual telemetry systems to enhance operational safety and reliability. The drones have also undergone repeated crash testing during development to meet industrial durability standards.
The weight classification of sub-250g allows for greater operational flexibility, as such drones are subject to less stringent certification requirements under UK and international regulations. This enables deployment in public areas with fewer restrictions compared to heavier UAVs.
Shifts in drone usage
The partnership signals a move away from the use of consumer-grade drones in utility operations. ShadowVu's CEO and founder Jim Thomson highlighted the decision-making process behind the partnership, stating,
"This partnership validates everything we've built ShadowVu to stand for. Northern Powergrid had been searching for 18 months to find a solution fit for its demanding needs. They chose ShadowVu because we're delivering what others can't – a truly industrial-grade performance in a compact, sub-250g form factor."
Field-repairability is a feature emphasised by ShadowVu. According to the company, the drones can be maintained on-site without requiring complex assembly processes or specialised materials, which can help reduce downtime and maintenance overhead for Northern Powergrid's operational teams.
Utility perspective
Northern Powergrid's field teams will utilise the new drone fleet to support incident response as well as routine inspection and maintenance audits. Mark Pollard, the company's contract lead and Field Systems Manager, commented on the procurement and expected outcomes:
"Through our robust procurement process, we've secured a contract that will enable us to grow our fleet with drones that are bespoke to our needs. This contract will help ensure we have a robust and reliable fleet of drones that our teams can easily utilise in the field. They will support our major incident response as well as our network inspection programme by providing vital information enabling informed decisions to be made when coordinating storm responses as well as supporting our future maintenance and investment plans so we can continue to provide a safe and resilient power network for our customers."
ShadowVu stated that its industrial drone fleets are estimated to offer up to a 10:1 cost advantage over traditional consumer drone fleets, owing to longer operational life, reduced maintenance costs, and the ability to be repaired on-site. The company expects Northern Powergrid to benefit from this cost advantage and to be able to deploy the drones more freely as a result of the regulatory flexibility of the sub-250g weight class.
The companies will begin the deployment of the 50-unit fleet before the end of the calendar year, introducing a new model for drone use in large-scale utility operations in the UK.
