Fugro to Develop Digital Twin of Denmark's Transmission Network for Safe & Sustainable Maintenance

Fugro has been awarded a 5-year framework agreement by Energinet, the Danish national transmission system operator, to acquire aerial lidar and imagery data of their 3000-line-kilometer energy transmission network. The Geo-data will be analysed using Fugro's Roames technology to create a 3D digital twin of the network, which will be used to report on crucial clearances. Fugro will collaborate with Energinet to build a vegetation growth model to aid future vegetation and asset management programmes as part of the framework.

Fugro will use a lightweight helicopter equipped with scanning technology – including digital cameras and a lidar system – to collect high accuracy Geo-data of Energinet’s network. The data will then be processed and analysed using the award-winning Fugro Roames technology, which combines innovative 3D mapping techniques with cutting-edge machine learning and cloud computing. The technology, designed specifically for power utilities, will create a digital twin and detailed analytics for remote asset inspection, identification, and condition assessment to help Energinet optimise their maintenance schedules and identify compliance defects.

Fugro will also implement a dynamic network model to simulate the sag and swing of Energinet’s electrical conductors to significantly improve the accuracy of vegetation analytics. As part of the framework, Fugro will provide individual tree crown detection, as well as fall-in and critical tree risk identification. This initial analysis will lead to the development of a full-scale vegetation growth model allowing Energinet to proactively identify and prioritise risk for their whole network, conduct inspections through a web browser, and update and improve their data quality.

“This new framework agreement between Energinet and Fugro will provide valuable insights across our transmission network to support the maintenance of our infrastructure. Crucially, the vegetation data will help us to develop future vegetation management plans to minimise risks and build a sustainable solution for the future,” said Steffen Rosborg Energinet’s Project Manager.

Bram Mulder, Fugro’s Regional Business Line Director Land Asset Integrity, said: “Using Fugro Roames technology, asset engineers and network programme analysts can access and extract millions of records and asset attributes within seconds, optimising Energinet’s maintenance schedules and improving the safety and reliability of their network. We’re proud to continue the development of digital inspection programmes within the energy sector and look forward to working with Energinet over the next five years as we develop a full-scale vegetation growth model.”