In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the Virginia Department of Energy (Virginia Energy) helped acquire and deploy drones to conduct aerial damage assessments of electric utility infrastructure, which helped expedite recovery and power restoration operations. Hurricane Helene caused severe damage to electric infrastructure in rural, mountainous areas in the Commonwealth, leaving nearly 300,000 customers without power, and destroying a significant amount of the distribution system.

The Virginia Emergency Operations Center requested the support of (Virginia Energy's Emergency Support Function 12 - Energy (ESF-12) team after being activated in response to Hurricane Helene. Virginia Energy possesses a comprehensive understanding of the energy landscape and its interdependencies within the Commonwealth, and maintains strong relationships with electric utilities and other energy sector partners. Virginia Energy was responsible for standing up an Energy Task Force in response to Helene, which required proactive engagement of key energy sector partners in the state to help Inform Situational Reports (SitReps) and address unmet needs.

The Appalachian Power Company's (APCo) service territory was significantly impacted, and APCo could not perform requested additional assistance in conducting damage assessments due to treacherous terrain (e.g., washed out roads, landslides, downed trees). Aerial drone footage was needed to properly conduct timely damage assessments and allocate response resources. With other assets already being used, there were no utility or other resources that were available to assist. When this issue was brought to the Energy Task Force, Virginia Energy identified an additional drone team, normally used by the Virginia Energy's Mined Land Repurposing Division to assess safety and compliance concerns in abandoned mine land. The drone team was able to deploy to APCo's affected service territory and support the utility in conducting damage assessments and identifying downed lines. Virginia Energy's unique knowledge of the energy landscape, entities, and assets resulted in a novel emergency response capability that helped expedite recovery time.

Virginia Energy leads the maintenance of the Commonwealth's State Energy Security Plan (SESP) with support from the State Corporation Commission, VDEM, and key energy sector partners in a highly collaborative process. The SESP, supported by the U.S. State Energy Program, encapsulates the Commonwealth's energy risk profile, energy emergency response practices, and risk mitigation strategies, among others. These contents are required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Sec. 40108, which outlines specific elements that State Energy Offices must address as part of their energy security programs. Nationwide, this deliberative process has promoted enhanced coordination among state agencies and with energy infrastructure owners and operators, and has resulted in enhanced energy security capabilities.

For additional information on this story, please contact Brandi Frazier-Bestpitch ([email protected]) or Vince Maiden ([email protected]) with Virginia Energy.