LiDAR and thermography of an HTB feeder for SBEE

The context

Société Béninoise d'Énergie Électrique (SBEE) operates a high-voltage network whose regular inspection conditions the stability of national supply. On a strategic HTB feeder, SBEE wanted an exhaustive audit combining geometric LiDAR survey (precise cable and tower positions, vegetation clearance) and aerial thermography (hotspot detection on connectors, insulators, joints). Traditional ground inspection by vehicle + climber would have taken several weeks and required costly line outages.

Our method

Dual-sensor drone flight (LiDAR + IR thermal) over the entire HTB feeder. Trajectories planned parallel to the line, extending beyond the right-of-way to capture the complete vegetated environment. ANAC Bénin certified pilot, authorised for flights near high-voltage structures. LiDAR processing: cloud classification, 3D extraction of loaded cable positions, sag computation per span, identification of trees exceeding the regulatory clearance zone. Thermography processing: hotspot overlay on the 3D model, delta-T computation vs ambient for prioritisation.

What we delivered

• Classified LiDAR point cloud (cables, towers, ground, vegetation)
• Cross-section and longitudinal profiles of the line
• Sag measurement per span (± 5-10 cm accuracy)
• Automatic detection of trees exceeding the right-of-way
• Thermal mapping of hotspots with delta-T
• Geolocated inventory of components per tower
• Prioritised PDF report by intervention criticality
• GeoJSON / KML export compatible with SBEE GIS

The outcome

SBEE has a complete audit within days where traditional inspection would have taken several weeks. Detected hotspots were prioritised and planned for curative intervention before causing an outage. Dangerous trees in the right-of-way were geolocated for the trimming campaign. The method demonstrates the relevance of dual-sensor drone for African power operators looking to industrialise their HV network audits.