Power and gas transmission system and distribution network operators must ensure safety and continuity of supply across thousands of kms of under and over ground assets, many in rural areas. They must meet regulatory and company monitoring and performance demands and respond during supply outages.

Spottitt’s power and gas network monitoring services allow TSOs and DSOs to increase monitoring accuracy and frequencies without investment in personnel or hardware. Satellites remotely capture high-resolution imagery and data across hundreds of thousands of square kms daily. This data is accurately analysed at scale to provide data on a range of asset risk and performance KPIs (vegetation and building encroachment and height, fire risk, land motion, flooding, risk detection and gas leaks).

Pilot in Poland

The Polish national gas distribution network provider Polska Spółka Gazownictwa sp. z o.o.  PSG for short own and maintain some 185,000 km’s of underground gas distribution pipelines, of which approx. 8000 km are medium elevated and high pressure pipelines. PSG have a legal requirement to monitor these high medium elevated and high pressure pipelines on an annual basis for issues with vegetation and building encroachment.

Like many gas network providers PSG conduct annual visual monitoring via the use of helicopters who fly the length of the high pressure network, in a pilot Spottitt showed the advantages of using satellite images as alternative.

Even with no-go buffer zones of just a few meters either side of the pipeline, the algorithms developed by Spottitt accurately classified and flagged trees, buildings and potential gas leaks along the entire 80km of gas distribution pipeline monitored.

Spottitt’s estimated service provision cost for annual monitoring approx 25% cheaper than traditional aerial visual inspection. Anticipated increased detection rates of vegetation, building and potential gas leak issue detection via automated analysis of each image pixel versus traditional aerial visual inspection.

Global Call

Spottitt was selected as one of the finalist for the EIT InnoEnergy Global Call in 2020.
Out of 1200 applicants they have been among the 5 start-ups who got into our Highway program