Dominion Energy Secures Pivotal BVLOS Waiver for Power Facility Inspections

Dominion Energy and Skydio, announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted Dominion Energy a pivotal approval to fly Skydio drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) to inspect power generation facilities in seven states. Dominion obtained the waiver in partnership with Skydio’s regulatory team under the FAA BEYOND program, as part of the Virginia team led by the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) along with the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation.

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Representing the democratization of advanced drone operations, the waiver allows individual operators — like plant engineers — to fly drones beyond their line of sight with unprecedented efficiency. There is no requirement to use an additional crew member or technology to detect crewed aircraft.

Dominion Energy first deployed drones in 2014, focusing primarily on identifying electrical transmission line defects. Since then, Dominion has expanded its drone program to include approximately 50 drones and drone pilots serving multiple operational business segments. At power generation facilities, Dominion Energy drones take volumetric measurements and assess construction progress, provide surveying and mapping services, and inspect infrastructure.

“A 20-minute inspection by a battery-powered drone will increase safety for our colleagues, who will no longer need to rappel down the side of a structure, as well as save time during inspection-related preparations,” said Nate Robie, Dominion Energy’s manager of unmanned systems program. “As a pioneer in beyond visual line of sight drone use, Dominion Energy contributes to a safer, greener future, as well as potentially lowering operations and maintenance costs, which ultimately benefits our customers.”