Throughout 2025, Northpower Inspection Solutions partnered with Aurora Energy to deliver both proactive and reactive inspection programmes across sections of Aurora’s 33kV subtransmission network in Central Otago and Queenstown.

The work responded to increasing reliability concerns, including unexplained tripping events and outages impacting local communities, generation assets, and critical winter infrastructure during peak seasonal demand.

Combining advanced drone operations, thermal imaging, and acoustic inspection technologies, the projects demonstrated how innovative inspection methods can help identify defects earlier, improve network visibility, and support faster maintenance decision making across challenging environments.

In March 2025, Northpower completed a four-week inspection programme across Aurora Energy’s Alexandra–Roxburgh 1 and 2 33kV subtransmission circuits.

Delivered across rugged and remote terrain, the inspections combined high-resolution drone photography, aerial thermal infrared scanning, and ground-based acoustic testing to provide a detailed assessment of network condition. The integrated approach enabled the identification of early-stage defects and deterioration not visible through conventional inspection methods.

The resulting inspection data and defect reporting supported Aurora’s overhead asset teams with maintenance prioritisation, planning, and future network investment decisions ahead of the winter period.

To support efficient field delivery, Northpower deployed one of its purpose-built drone utility vehicles from Auckland to Otago. Designed as a mobile operational base, the vehicle enabled continuous charging, rapid deployment, and sustained field operations across long inspection days in remote locations.

The programme also complemented Northpower’s ongoing biennial acoustic inspection programme across Aurora’s Dunedin network, supporting proactive risk reduction and long-term reliability management across the wider overhead network.

Just months later, during the peak winter holiday season, Aurora Energy again called on Northpower Inspection Solutions following repeated unexplained trips on the Queenstown (Frankton) to Wye Creek 33kV circuit.

The line supplies critical infrastructure, including the Remarkables Ski Field and the Pioneer Energy Wye Creek hydroelectric station, increasing the urgency to identify the source of the faults quickly.

Within hours of the request, Northpower mobilised a specialist inspection crew from Auckland to Queenstown, co-ordinating stakeholder engagement, land access, flight planning, and operational approvals to enable inspections to commence immediately.

The inspection environment presented significant operational complexity. The circuit traverses rugged mountainous terrain and passes through heavily restricted airspace adjacent to Queenstown Airport, which is one of New Zealand’s most challenging aviation environments.

Leveraging the operational privileges within Northpower’s Part 102 certification, the team safely conducted specialised night-time drone operations on live electrical infrastructure. Supported by high-powered drone lighting systems, thermal imaging, high-resolution aerial photography, and ground-based acoustic testing, the inspections successfully identified several high-priority defects likely contributing to the outages.

Inspection data captured in the field was progressively uploaded and reviewed in near real time by the Auckland-based engineering support team, allowing findings and recommendations to be communicated rapidly to Aurora Energy. A comprehensive inspection report was delivered within a day of the final flight operation.