One of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States is considering drones in inspect its facilities. San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) is testing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, to enhance the safety and reliability of its gas and electric service. The Federal Aviation Administration has authorized PG&E to use drones to assist with infrastructure inspections. PG&E is conducting two separate testing programs to explore the feasibility of using safety drones to monitor electric infrastructure in hard-to-reach areas and to detect methane leaks across its 70,000-square-mile service area. These aircrafts are small and controlled by human operators through remote commands. Drones are flown safely over PG&E's electric and gas infrastructure and always within the visual line of sight of operators.
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