A dog trained to sniff out faults in Scotland’s power network is helping to keep electricity flowing this winter.
Jac, a seven-year-old springer spaniel, is able to detect the scent of oil and hydrocarbon gases through both earth and tarmac.
He can identify an underground fault by pointing with his front paw, saving engineers from digging a number of holes as they try to find the source of the problem.
While cables are typically buried at depths of 40 to 80cm, Jac has been known to discover a fault two metres deep.
And his highly sensitive nose can pinpoint a potential trouble spot for his handlers at SP Energy Networks (Spen) from as little as a couple of drops of oil.
Scott Mathieson, Spens network planning and regulation director, said Jac’s skills have proved useful, with a 100 per cent success record in locating faults on 30 different occasions. The detection dog, who underwent a year of training, is being used to help find some of the network issues that could lead to power cuts.
Scott said: “Part of keeping the lights on in an electricity network involves investing in innovation and technology.
“We’re used to using laser technology, flying the network with drones, but Jac adds to our armoury significantly.
“He is a sniffer dog and we’ve been piloting using Jac to help us detect cable faults in particular.
“So when cables fail, if they’re oil filled, they let off some oil that lets off hydrocarbon gases or the insulation breaking down lets particulate levels of hydrocarbons off. Jac is a springer spaniel whose sense of smell is thousands of times more effective than a human being, and he can detect exactly where the cables have a weakness in them.
“The benefit of that is that we can repair the cable actually before it fails and improve customer experiences.” The pilot, which is continuing, is one of a number of measures Spen is taking to prepare for the winter weather.
The network operator already expects to see fewer faults needing to be repaired thanks to an innovative system that can spot potential problems before they even happen. A new Low Voltage Support Room is using advanced monitoring technology to provide real-time information on supplies across its operating area north and south of the border, in what Spen said is a UK first.
It analyses data produced by smart meters and electricity substations to highlight where a potential fault might occur on the network, helping engineers find exact locations where repairs are required.
Meanwhile, inspections of the poles and wires that transport electricity around the country continues all year round. SP Energy Networks is responsible for 65,000 miles of network and 30,000 substations.
The normally storm-resilient network was severely damaged in places when Storm Arwen brought winds of over 110mph in places last November.
