Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to inspect Bluff Park power lines

Alabama Power will have Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the Bluff Park area in order to inspect power lines on Aug. 27.

The UAVs are part of a pilot project to assess the effectiveness of these tools in power line inspection. Some of the inspections will be on private property, and those residents have already been notified. The inspections will mainly be in the Tyler Road, Princess Avenue and Shades Crest Road areas, beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing in the early afternoon.

Officer Brian Hale of Hoover Police Department said the UAVs will mainly be in remote areas, where manned buckets cannot reach the power lines.

“Alabama Power will conduct the assessment according to all rules and procedures set forth by the Federal Aviation Administration,” Alabama Power released in a statement. “Southern Company, the parent company of Alabama Power, holds a Section 333 exemption for the use of UAVs for routine power line inspections.”

The UAVs are just a few feet wide and are not expected to cause any disruptions. The notification by Hoover PD on Facebook is meant to give community members a heads-up, just in case they see one of the UAVs in the area.

“[People] shouldn’t see them because they’re doing them in remote areas,” Hale said.