Vegetation Management in Power Line Routes

A large part of Slovenia’s electricity transmission network runs through forest areas. Regular maintenance of vegetation along the routes of transmission lines is important to ensure safe and reliable operation of the system. The high volume of work represents a significant maintenance cost. In addition, the planning and management of the work is also a problem, as it has to take into account all the constraints and the time needed to prepare the work. In a study addressing this issue, we identified the need to set up an information system for vegetation management. Based on the requirements identified in the previous study and on the practical application of the process, the Vegeline application was developed to enable users to manage this area. The application is based on data. The data used are laser scanning (LiDAR) data of the routes, tree stand data in the individual areas, weather data (temperature, rainfall, insolation), soil composition data and technical data of the transmission lines. Based on the data, the application produces a map of permissible heights. Using machine learning algorithms, it produces a forecast of vegetation growth by year for the next 10 years since the last LiDAR survey. By comparing the predicted and allowed vegetation heights, it produces hazard maps showing where and when vegetation will grow beyond the allowed limit. The threat maps are also available as raster files to other applications. Vegeline suggests the most cost-effective course of action and time to the user, based on a cost estimate. The application is integrated with the asset management information system, where work orders are prepared, and the execution of tasks is monitored. The application’s utility is also enhanced by the gradual introduction of laser imaging by drones, which will provide more data in the future and, consequently, more accurate predictions of vegetation growth.