9,000 kilometre aerial stringing of Humelink projects cleared for takeoff

Australian drone company Infravision and Leading Edge Helicopters are respectively completing aerial stringing of New South Wales (NSW) and Australian Capital Territory (ACT) network operator Transgrid’s new 500 kV transmission project HumeLink West and East.

Deploying 9,000 kilometres of high voltage cable across more than 820 towers, with 200 towers already installed, the nation-critical HumeLink is a 365 kilometre transmission line that will connect Snowy 2.0 to the grid and unlock the equivalent renewable energy to power three million households for a week.

On track for completion in late 2027, Infravision is installing the complete draw-wire package across the 140 kilometre HumeLink West section using four of its Australian-invented drone systems, and Leading Edge Helicopters is running the aerial stringing on the eastern alignment.

Operating 378 kilometres southwest of Sydney from Wagga Wagga to Maragle in the Riverina and Bannaby in the Southern Tablelands, the drone and helicopter pilots carefully guide draw wires into the centre of pulley blocks attached to each tower and use them to pull the permanent conductor into place.

Leading Edge Helicopters Pilot John Caldwell said the work demands accuracy measured in millimetres.

“You just have to guide the wire. It becomes an extension of you really. It does take a bit of skill but it’s five times faster using the helicopter compared to traditional methods. It’s much more efficient and environmentally friendly doing this work by helicopter and drone,” Caldwell said.

The Infravision system allows construction to continue during adverse weather conditions, with the drones able to operate in winds exceeding 50 km/h and in temperatures from below 0 to above 50 degrees Celsius.

Infravision Chief Remote Pilot Philip Phoebe said flying the systems takes constant situational awareness and precise coordination with the ground crews, who operate using onboard cameras and telemetry.

“Our system allows more of the work to happen above the corridor rather than through it,” Phoebe said.

Aerial stringing replaces traditional ground-based operations which use bulldozers and tractors to drag draw wire between towers, requiring more personnel and vehicles on properties and roads, reducing impacts for landowners, communities and the environment.

Transgrid HumeLink Program Director John Burke said Leading Edge Helicopters and Infravision drones are providing safe, fast and low-impact installation of high-voltage transmission lines.

More than 200 towers in the HumeLink project have been erected to date and sophisticated electrical equipment including transformers and reactors have arrived at substation sites.

Delivery partners on the project include ACCIONA and GenusPlus Group Joint Venture for HumeLink East, and UGL and CPB Contractors Joint Venture for HumeLink West.

Construction of HumeLink East began in October 2025, and Transgrid expects to have 160 of the HumeLink East’s 459 transmission towers erected by the end of October 2026.

Spanning 140 km from Wagga Wagga to Maragle, HumeLink West requires over 360 new transmission towers in total, two new substations (Maragle and Gugaa) and an upgrade of Wagga Wagga Substation at Gregadoo.

The overhead transmission line team has constructed new 500kV transmission towers to connect with Wagga Wagga Substation and also installed three ‘monopoles’ up to 43.5 metres in height at Gregadoo, that service as a connection point for an existing high voltage transmission line to connect with HumeLink West and enable future network upgrades.