Pipeline Inspection with Drones Virginia Natural Gas

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

Virginia Natural Gas (VNG) is set to become the first natural gas utility in the state to deploy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for the inspection of gas pipelines. Self-dispatched Mavic 2 Pro drone will fly across Hampton Roads, northern James and New Kent Counties for the inspection of critical infrastructure and over 5,500 miles of gas pipeline. VNG will also initiate a pilot program for its sister companies in Illinois, Georgia and Tennessee that all fall under VNG’s parent company, Southern Company Gas (SCG). This new project builds on a program established in 2015 by SCG parent Southern Company.

“Southern Company, and now Virginia Natural Gas, is leading the energy industry in deploying state-of-the-art drone operation technology and elevating their processes,” said Dean Barefield, Unmanned Aerial Services program manager at Southern…