With a helicopter buzzing over much of Canberra on Saturday, punters may have been forgiven for thinking ScoMo or Albo was about to land to make a last-minute election pitch.
But, no, you'll be seeing and hearing that helicopter a little more yet - it's for Evoenergy's regular inspection of the poles and wires in the ACT to ensure trees and other vegetation has not grown too close to the powerlines, a problem that can cause power interruptions or even fires.
While ActewAGL looks after the electricity supply in the ACT, Evoenergy is responsible for the wires and about 50,000 poles, according to acting customer delivery manager Bronwen Butterfield.
The current inspection started this month and will continue until the end of May, inspecting 1200km of overhead powerlines and 7500 poles or structures, mainly this time across south Canberra.
The helicopter and staff collect images of overgrown vegetation so residents can be informed and the areas cleared before the start of the bushfire season later this year.
The inspections use a combination of zoom photography to inspect the poles and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) remote sensing technology to determine the distance between powerlines and vegetation.
Ms Butterfield said homeowners could expect a notice in the mail within the next month if they have vegetation that needs to be cleared.
