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CS-04C· Press / analysisDrone / aerial robot (UAV)
Southern Company: system-wide remote dock-based drone operations
A conditions-based FAA waiver to operate drones from docks remotely and autonomously beyond visual line of sight across the power system.
Last reviewed: 2026-11 · Methodology & sources →
Fact sheet
- Organization
- Southern Company, with Skydio
- Sector
- Energy
- Location
- Plants, substations and fixed sites across the system (US)
- Environment
- Industrial plant
- Stage
- Scaling
- First public deployment
- 2023-06
- Autonomy (editorial classification)
- L4 · High autonomy
- Coordination (editorial classification)
- Coordinated
Published payback
Not published
Deployed: Skydio X2 with Skydio Dock (previous generation). The dataset lists the X10.
01The challenge
- Recurring monitoring of fixed sites requires sending staff; operating beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) with no crew on site needs a specific FAA authorization.[T&D World, 2023][DroneDJ, 2023]
02The solution
- Hardware
- Skydio X2 drones with Skydio Dock.[T&D World, 2023][DroneDJ, 2023]
- Perception
- Not published
- Navigation
- Autonomous flights from docks at fixed sites, remotely operated.[T&D World, 2023]
- Coordination
- Centralized remote operation with no crew on site.[T&D World, 2023]
03Published KPIs
Figures as communicated, with their context and source. “Not published” means no public figure exists — a gap to close in a pilot.
| KPI | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authorization scope | System-wide (fixed sites) | — | [T&D World, 2023] |
| Precedent | November 2022 waiver for Plant Barry (Alabama) | — | [T&D World, 2023] |
| Travel hours or costs avoided | Not published | — | — |
| Dock availability / flights per month | Not published | — | — |
04Lessons
Integration & operations
- The bottleneck was regulatory: first one site (2022), then the whole system (2023).[T&D World, 2023]
Maintenance & limits
Not published
Scaling
- Other utilities followed; Dominion Energy obtained FAA BEYOND-program waivers allowing “shielded” operations near infrastructure.[Inside Unmanned Systems]