The Dulong River canyon is home to Dulongjiang township of Gongshan Dulong and Nu Autonomous County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province.
Beginning on May 25, five prefectures and cities—Nujiang, Diqing, Baoshan, Dehong, and Dali—experienced 10 consecutive days of heavy rainfall, triggering flash floods and debris flows across multiple areas of Gongshan county. Dulongjiang township was hit hard, forcing the shutdown of the 35-kilovolt Dulongjiang substation and cutting power to all 2,040 households. With roads and communication severed, the township became completely isolated.
Photo shows a view of the Dulong River canyon in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Photo/Wang Song)
On June 3, the first batch of emergency rescue drones from Yunnan Power Grid Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Southern Power Grid, arrived at the township. At a damaged bridge by the Dulong River, a drone successfully transported a generator to Kongdang village. Within five minutes of operation by power supply personnel, the lights in villager La Chunxiang’s home flickered back to life.
With road access blocked, the school, resident working team, and villagers in Dizhengdang village, Dulongjiang township faced severe shortages of essential supplies.
China Southern Power Grid deployed heavy-lift drones for aerial transport operations, carrying substantial materials over severely damaged road sections, greatly reducing transportation time and cutting manpower needs.
Emergency repair personnel from China Southern Power Grid trek through obstacles to conduct on-site repair work on June 5. (Photo/Lai Zengpeng)
Li Chun and Bi Haoran from Yunnan Power Transmission and Transformation Engineering Co., Ltd. operated a drone to transport emergency supplies and daily necessities to villagers in the township. This drone, with a payload of 70 kilograms, transported two tonnes of materials daily, ensuring steady supply of tents, food, and other essential goods to the northern disaster areas of the township.
A 160-kilogram power pole was steadily hoisted across the Dulong River through the coordinated efforts of two drones working in tandem.
"To meet lifting requirements, we adopted a ’dual-aircraft coordination’ mode, with two drones working together like interlocking gears to deliver the power pole smoothly to the opposite bank of the river," said Li Yong from Yunnan Jianyuan Power Engineering Co., Ltd.
Staff members from a subsidiary of China Southern Power Grid operate a drone to transport a generator to the opposite bank of the Dulong River on June 5. (Photo/Lai Zengpeng)
At 5:39 p.m. on June 10, power was fully restored to all areas of Dulongjiang township affected by geological disasters.
According to Xu Yongkun, deputy general manager of the production technology department at Yunnan Power Grid Co., Ltd., the power restoration effort in Dulongjiang township mobilized 635 repair personnel of the company from across Yunnan, deploying 16 heavy-lift drones and 77 lightweight drones. This marked the company’s first use of heavy-lift drones for transporting disaster relief equipment in canyon terrain, playing a crucial role in restoring power to northern Dulongjiang township.
The application of drones by Yunnan Power Grid Co., Ltd. extends far beyond emergency response.
Repair personnel from Yunnan Power Grid Co., Ltd. trek through a road damaged by floods in Dulongjiang township, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Photo/Wang Hexing)
In Dali, drones can complete live-line water washing of 711 glass insulators in just three days. At 4,000 meters above sea level atop Nujiang’s snow-capped mountains, drones equipped with infrared cameras conduct precise temperature monitoring of transmission lines, increasing inspection efficiency fivefold.
Across 10 prefectures and cities including Kunming, Yuxi, Wenshan, Chuxiong, and Lijiang—areas characterized by high mountains and deep valleys—heavy-lift drones have precisely delivered over 1,000 tonnes of power tower materials to mountaintops while saving over 500 cubic meters of forest that would otherwise have been cleared.
Two drones lift a product in Dulongjiang township, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of Dehong power supply bureau)
A drone employed by Yunnan Power Grid Co., Ltd. cleans insulators of an energized transmission line. (Photo courtesy of Yunnan Power Grid Co., Ltd.)
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0618/c90000-20329727.html