CASE C38 · BR · 2024
ISA CTEEP (Brazil): drones used for 100% of inspections on about 35,000 transmission structures
Brazilian transmission company ISA CTEEP now inspects all of its roughly 35,000 structures by drone, ending climbing and paper notes. It estimates task time is halved. Conductor inspection was not yet covered, and the time saving is an estimate.
| Owner | ISA CTEEP |
| Provider | — |
| Location | ISA CTEEP concession area, Brazil (state not stated in source) |
| Aircraft | Not stated (manually piloted from the ground) |
| Sensors | high-resolution RGB camera |
Before
Workers climbed 20–100 m structures and took handwritten notes on site.
With drones
A ground-based operator photographs each structure; images are reviewed in an app at the company's digital image analysis centre (CAID) and kept for traceability.
Outcomes
| Metric | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| adoption | 100% of structure inspections done by drone; about 35,000 structures in concession | Reported |
| task time | about 50% of the estimated task time | Estimate |
| safety | climbing for inspection eliminated (no incident data) | Company claim |
Caveats & limits
- Short trade-press article based on company statements; no cost data, drone models or baseline for the 50% figure.
- Covers structures only: conductor/line inspection was not yet done by drone and the company was still looking for suitable sensors.
- Higher reliability from image traceability is asserted, not measured.
Sources
- ISA CTEEP adota drones em 100% das inspeções em torres de transmissãoO Setor Elétrico Full text read
Sources checked: 2026-10-22