Subsurface mapping to improve line undergrounding in US

Subsurface maps should improve undergrounding processes for power lines as part of the effort to overhaul and modernise the US grid.

As part of the US DOE’s Grid Overhaul with Proactive, High-speed Undergrounding for Reliability, Resilience, and Security (GOPHURRS) programme, subsurface mapping specialist Exodigo is participating in a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) led initiative to contribute to the development of more cost-effective undergrounding technologies.

With the deployment of its artificial intelligence (AI) system, which autonomously processes data from multiple geophysical sensors, Exodigo expects to streamline the processing of the survey data into a digital twin and augmented reality, allowing for the identification of subsurface obstacles prior to installation.

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With the project expected to provide near real-time subsurface mapping, it should support the aim to drive significant cost savings and increased efficiency and speed in the undergrounding process.

“Underscoring Exodigo’s commitment to revolutionising undergrounding technology for power grids, we look forward to improving the resilience and efficiency of our nation’s energy infrastructure in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,” said Jeremy Suard, CEO of Exodigo, commenting on the receipt of federal funding towards the initiative.

Other participants in the project include Rutgers and the utilities Avista, Portland General Electric and WEC Energy Group.

Palo Alto and Tel Aviv-headquartered Exodigo was founded by former Israeli intelligence officers and uses multiple sensors in combination to create a complete underground map – effectively “combining an MRI, CT scan and ultrasound into a single source of truth” as the company describes it.

The overall aim of the GOPHURRS programme is to enable a move from the current horizontal drilling and conduit installation approach to a concurrent drilling and conduit installation method via a shift in the standard of undergrounding from digging to drilling in order to leave the surface nearly untouched.

In addition to the PNNL-led project, others in the programme are focussed on aspects such as underground construction tool development and splicing kits.