Virginia Natural Gas

Dean Barefield, Unmanned Aerial Services program manager at Southern Company commented “We see parallels between our electric and gas utilities and the ability to integrate that technology. The addition of drones to the day-to-day operations at VNG will offer a cost-effective platform for pipeline inspection while increasing efficiency and safety due to their availability, range and ease of operation.”

Zack Gravely, Asset Protection specialist and one of the new drone pilots said, “drones are ideally suited for inspecting equipment because they can safely and quickly deliver high-quality photos and videos of our system in a way that can minimize environmental impact and inconvenience for customers along any rights-of-way. This technology will be another tool in our arsenal.”

In the past, traditional methods for pipeline inspection have been slower, manually intensive, expensive and sometimes cause safety concerns due to the surrounding natural environment to conduct. Even though natural gas pipelines run underground, they are accessed from above the surface for maintenance and inspection. Vegetation, for instance, will overgrow and obscure the path of workers trying to access the pipeline. Drones equipped with a visual or infrared camera can now be used for navigating and patrolling a segment of pipeline, identifying and capturing images or videos of areas of interest at pre-defined timings and returns.

A team of three trained “pilots” will fly the drones for VNG. They recently obtained their pilot certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration and hope to have the program up in the air soon to help them see from above what they can’t on foot.

A second member of the team, Randall “Ness” Peacock, Construction supervisor at VNG, said he was excited about the program when he first heard about it two years ago. Since he previously had his private pilot’s license, he felt he could enhance his job knowledge while using his passion and expertise of flying and take safety to a higher level.

“Peakcock commented, “I appreciated the opportunity to be part of the initial program and combine my love of flying while further developing my career. “To be on the ground level of this program and help define what it will look like for VNG and for our peers was something I knew I wanted to be involved with.” 

Kenny LeSueur, Engineer and Quality Assurance specialist, rounds out the pilot project team and will be responsible for developing a program to best incorporate drone technology that’s adaptable for the rest of Southern Company Gas. 

“We all have different ideas and are trying to put together a solid program. “Drones will give us the flexibility to perform a variety of higher quality inspections due to their ability to fly closer to pipelines, and safety of operation. For example, when we inspect bridges, we will no longer have to be close to the water source, such as rivers or streams, so it will increase the safety for those in the field as well,” said LeSeur.

The applications of having a drone and certified pilots for the energy company are endless. There will be situations where the drone will be an extension of the team in the field. The real value is when you combine their abilities with the experience of the team, added Peacock.

Virginia Natural Gas is a division of Southern Company Gas, a ONE Future Founding Member. With roots that stretch back to 1850, Virginia Natural Gas serves more than 300,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in southeastern Virginia.