Infravision raises $91M for power line maintenance drones

Two people looking at a computer and watching a drone string powerlines.

Infravision operates the TX system, a fully integrated combination of drones, intelligent ground equipment, and stringing hardware. | Source: Infravision

Infravision, which develops aerial drones that help build and maintain power grids, raised $91 million in Series B funding. The new capital will accelerate the adoption of Infravision’s power line stringing system.

The company said this system is a faster, safer, and more cost-effective alternative to traditional ground and helicopter methods.

“Infravision’s aerial robotics system has been proven on some of the largest and most complex power line projects in the world, including Powerlink Genex in Australia and emergency response deployments with PG&E in California,” said Cameron Van Der Berg, CEO of Infravision. “This investment will help us scale to provide a faster, safer, and more cost-effective way to meet surging electricity demand as the world races to double grid infrastructure by 2040.”

Traditional power infrastructure projects are consistently delayed and over budget, the company said. Infravision said its flexible, automated approach eliminates many of the contingencies and hazards inherent in conventional power line stringing methods. This speeds up project execution and reduces project costs.

The funding will accelerate Infravision’s deployment of its TX System. This system is a fully integrated combination of drones, intelligent ground equipment, and stringing hardware. Infravision customers are already using it to deliver extra high-voltage transmission projects across the globe.

In its latest iteration, the company’s system brings helicopter-level capabilities into a daily-use, truck-based fleet vehicle. Purpose-built for versatility, the Infravision system reduces outages, improves emergency response, and minimizes community disruption in even the toughest conditions.

GIC led the round, which also included participation from Activate Capital and Hitachi Ventures, as well as existing investor Energy Impact Partners.

Infravision aims to expand to the U.S.

Since its launch in 2018, Infravision has delivered more than 40 major projects across four countries. It has saved utilities, contractors, and developers millions of dollars and thousands of work hours, Intravision claimed.

“Reliable, modern transmission infrastructure is foundational to the global energy transition,” said Swap Shah, Partner at Energy Impact Partners. “Infravision is solving one of the toughest challenges in that equation – how to scale grid buildout safely, affordably, and at the pace required to meet electrification, AI, and industrial growth. We’re proud to continue supporting the team as they expand in North America and beyond.”

With Australia as a proven market, Infravision is now expanding its North American operations. The new capital significantly strengthens Infravision’s ability to hire world-class engineers and scale U.S. operations and manufacturing, it said.

Additionally, the company will partner with utilities, developers, and contractors across the U.S. to accelerate the deployment of affordable transmission infrastructure.